Constitutive rules for social facts, according to Searle, are of the form “X counts as Y in C“. This formula has four essential components which each play a necessary role in the construction of social reality. The first is X, the brute facts which may be mere bodily motion, or some other physical object which in itself is devoid of all meaning and function. The second component is the “counts as”, by which I mean an interpretive repertoire which is common to an entire community. It is the communal nature of the interpretation of X which gives Y whatever amount of epistemic objectivity which it obtains as well as logically prevents individuals from creating social facts independent of what any other agent thinks of the matter. The third component is the social fact itself, Y. This may be an action, money, a social role which a person plays, etc. It is the brute, physical fact endowed with meaning and function by the community in question. The final component is the C, the external context which greatly constrains or even determines which Y the community will count X as being. (more…)
