Norms, Values, Society: A Brief Phenomenological Overview

Abstract

In our paper we introduce three main areas of social ontology that correspond with the sections structuring the current issue of “Phenomenology and Mind”: non-institutional life, institutional life and ethical-political life. We argue three points about these areas, which are represented in the accounts published in this issue: levels of social life and reality; normative levels of life and reality; hierarchical levels of life and reality. Finally, we introduce two interviews, to which the last special section of the issue is devoted. The interviews were conducted by the editors with Martha Craven Nussbaum and by Valentina Bambini, Cristiano Chesi and Andrea Moro with Noam Chomsky.

Keywords

• non-institutional life
• institutional life
• ethical-political life
• norms