Cognitive Autonomy and Methodological Individualism

Di Iorio offers a new approach to Hayek's Sensory Order, linking neuroscience to the old Verstehen tradition and to contemporary theories of self-organizing systems; this should be on the reading list of everyone who is interested in Hayek's thought.Barry SmithUniversity at Buffalo, editor of The MonistThis impressive and well-researched book breaks new ground in our understanding of F.A. Hayek and of methodological individualism more generally. It shows that methodological individualism sanctions neither an atomistic view of society nor a mechanical determinism. The book carefully analyzes an important tradition in the social sciences, and compares it to many important philosophical, sociological and economic systems of thought. This is an enlightening book for all scholars interested in the methodological problems of the social sciences.Mario J. RizzoNew York UniversityOne of Hayek's most important contributions is his linking of complex methodological individualism, which deals with the emergence of spontaneous orders and unintended collective structures in complex self-organizing social systems, with a cognitive psychology. What makes Francesco Di Iorio's book of great interest is that, by building on Hayek's seminal book The Sensory Order, it deepens the connections between cognition and rules of just conduct, taking into account relevant theories on subjectivity and consciousness such as phenomenology, hermeneutics and enactivism.Jean PetitotÉcole des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, EHESS, ParisIn this thoughtful and enlightening book Francesco Di Iorio uses Hayek's cognitive psychology as the starting point for investigation of the relationship between the autonomy of the agent and socio-cultural influences within methodological individualism. The book provides anilluminating and innovative analysis of a central issue in the philosophy of social science by setting Hayek's view on mind and action in fruitful relation to approaches such as Gadamer's hermeneutics, Merleau-Ponty's phenomenology, Varela's and Maturana's enaction, Boudon's interpretative sociology, Popper's fallibilism and Mises' praxeology. One of the most interesting aspects of this book is its argument that hermeneutics and fallibilism refer not to two different methods but to the same one.Dario AntiseriEmeritus Professor at LUISS University, RomeFrancesco Di Iorio's book explores, in an original way, the connections between Hayek's methodological individualism and his fascinating idea that human mind is both an interpretative device and a self-organizing system. It is a brilliant, clearly written work, characterized by a certain intellectual courage, which makes a remarkable contribution to the sociology of knowledge.Gérald BronnerParis Diderot University

Links methodological individualism with the enactive paradigm of cognitive science Uses the theory of the mind as a complex self-organizing system to defend the interpretative approach of methodological individualism Criticizes the idea that the hermeneutical approach and scientific explanation are two alternative approaches, thus defending the unity of science Focuses on the non-atomistic variant of methodological individualism Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Inhalt

Introduction.- The Interpretative Nature of Knowledge: Hermeneutics and Sensory Order.- From Cognitive Autonomy to the Criticism of Socio-Cultural Determinism.- Human Autonomy and Social Systems.- Rationality and Collective Beliefs.- Nomological Explanation and Empirical Control in the Social Sciences.