Ontogenesis versus morphogenesis towards an anti-realist model of the constitution of society

Bouzanis, Christoforos

Abstract

This article firstly criticizes Margaret Archer’s Morphogenetic Approach for being indecisive about the realist notion of emergence it proposes as well as for her inadequate account of structural conditioning. It is argued that critical realists’ conceptualizations of emergence cannot but lead to inconsistencies about the adequate placement of agents as parts of emergent entities. The inconsistencies to which these conceptualizations lead necessitate an anti-realist model of the constitution of societies which takes into account that social structures are existentially dependent upon ideational elaboration. This alternative anti-realist theoretical perspective is provided by Ontogenesis, within the framework of which the realists’ idea of the ‘necessary and internal relations’ give their place to the ontological pervasiveness of the culturally shared imaginary schemata. Archer’s denial of a collective synchronic impact to social forms is implied in her analysis of morphogenetic cycles, according to which, structural elaboration post-dates social interaction; and this denial is also expressed in this very idea of emergent structures. Instead, for Ontogenesis, social forms are synchronically dependent on the collective impact of the differently socially placed agents, who have different interests and material resources, and whose interaction only becomes meaningful when drawing on these culturally shared imaginary schemata.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 27, 2015
• Online Publication Date: Apr 6, 2016
• Publication Date: 2016-11
• Deposit Date: Sep 21, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 22, 2022
• Journal: Human Studies
• Print ISSN: 0163-8548
• Electronic ISSN: 1572-851X
• Publisher: Springer Verlag
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 39
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 569-599
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10746-015-9376-y
• Keywords: Philosophy; Sociology and Political Science, Ontogenesis, Morphogenesis, Margaret Archer, Social Anti-Realism, Social Imaginary
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/9996015
• Publisher URL: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10746-015-9376-y#article-info