Social theory and agency: The cave, social determinism and interdependency

This paper is founded on the principle that social theory does not only interpret social worlds. In some social processes, social theory can also influence some social actions. This is what Giddens called the problem of double hermeneutic: by analyzing social phenomena, sociologists can also affect them in various ways. The theory becomes part of the practice it observes rather than being external to it. Starting from this general principle, I present the related idea that various social theories based on different ‘background assumptions’ (Gouldner) can have positive or negative effect on the level of agency of people. For instance, in some social processes, some social theories encourage resistance to domination and alienation while others might discourage the same kind of empowerment in similar social dynamics. In the Western culture, the allegory of the cave (Plato), the positivistic quest for social laws and solid social structures and co-determinism (the study of interactions between structures and agency) are examples of theoretical perspectives which can decrease the level of agency. The last part of the paper explores the possibility of one reinforcing approach which can stay away from hard or soft social determinism by also avoiding voluntarism. I call it transactional sociology because it is partly coming from the distinction between self-action, interaction and transaction proposed by Dewey and Bentley. In brief, this approach focus on the interdependency between all the transactors, including the masters and the slaves. I think in some social processes this transactional approach can reinforce the agency of the individuals in realistic ways.