person1980s-present

Margaret Gilbert

Disciplines:

Summary

British philosopher who developed the plural subject theory of collective intentionality — 'we-intentions' and 'we-beliefs' are irreducible to aggregates of individual intentions and beliefs.

Core Contribution

On Social Facts: social groups are plural subjects — entities that think, intend, and feel as a unit — and this cannot be reduced to the sum of individual members' mental states. Joint commitment: what unifies a plural subject is a joint commitment that binds members normatively. Contributed to political obligation and collective emotion.

Key Spikes & Highlights

Joint commitment is normative: if we jointly commit to go for a walk together, I cannot just change my mind without owing you a reason — this is what distinguishes collective action from mere parallel individual action.
The plural subject theory implies that collectives can bear obligations and make genuine promises — a group owes what it committed to, independently of whether individual members still want to fulfill the commitment.

Notable Works & Achievements

On Social Facts

Living Together

Sociality and Responsibility

Historical Influences

P.F. Strawson H.L.A. Hart

Intellectual Lineage

Analytic Social Philosophy

Contemporaries & Peers

Michael Bratman Raimo Tuomela

Minds Influenced

Collective Intentionality Research

Intellectual Posterity

Plural Subject Theory Collective Intentionality

Discussing