The Intentional Explanation of Social Behaviour and the Conditions of its Credibility

Abstract

The aim of this article is to contribute to the debate on the appropriateness of interpreting social actions from an approach based on analytical philosophy and the theory of practice in the social sciences. I argue that that although intentional explanation does not depend on natural laws, it nevertheless remains an explanation of social behaviour by causes. I argue that the intentional explanation of social behaviour based on the reasons of the actor can be a kind of causal explanation if a set of conditions which guarantee the heuristic capacity of the intentional explanation is available. These conditions are contextualism, collective intentionality, and following rule behaviours.