Institutional Ontology as an Ontology of Types

Abstract

In present paper I investigate the relation between types and tokens, and its peculiar relevance for the ontology of institutional phenomena. I distinguish cognitive (or analogical) types and normative (or katalogical) types: while cognitive types are constructed a posteriori from analogies among pre-existing tokens, normative types are the prius of their tokens, tokens whose identity and effects are determined in the type. Direction of fit, essential effects, and atypicalness in relation to normative types are investigated, and the hypothesis is ventured that the ontology of institutional phenomena (contrary to the ontology of natural phenomena) is primarily an ontology of types.

Keywords

• social ontology
• type/token relationship
• direction of fit
• atypicalness