Phenomenology of the social world – A fresh encounter

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/2965-1557.037.e202531510

Keywords:

Social World, Phenomenology., Intersubjectivity, Normativity

Abstract

In this short essay, I try to draw the lines for a renewed phenomenological theory of the social world. I criticize the traditional approach, which focuses on intersubjectivity, and try to show that the cru¬cial element of the social world is the nomic connections established between individuals. I also critically examine the modern assumption that the State is the culmination point of the social world. I then move on to the constructive part. I distinguish three types of nomic bonds, which I call sociabilitas, imperium, and oikeiosis, and point to them as the three fundamental axes of the social world. I defend the thesis that they do not overlap but have different structures and dynamics. Finally, I show how some important objective institutions of the social world are fundamentally, although not exclusively, based on one of these three types of nomic bonds. I designate them as Agora, Palace, and Temple. At the very end, I emphasize that the deep layers of any social world are labor and knowledge, which should be accounted for in full-fledged phenomenological research concerning the essential elements of any social world whatsoever.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

Pedro Alves, Centro de Filosofia da Universidade de Lisboa

PhD em Filosofia Contemporânea pela Universidade de Lisboa

Downloads

Published

2025-07-08

How to Cite

Alves, P. (2025). Phenomenology of the social world – A fresh encounter. Revista De Filosofia Aurora, 37. https://doi.org/10.1590/2965-1557.037.e202531510

Issue

Section

Phenomenology, World and Oikology