Philosophy of Science

The Reality of Social Kinds: A Gradational Realist Approach

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Mohammad Hosein Zarei 1
Seyed Ali Taheri Khorramabadi 2

1 Master student, Philosophy of Science Department, Sharif University of Technology

2 Assistant Professor, Philosophy of Science Department, Sharif University of Technology

10.30465/ps.2025.53257.1804
Abstract
The question of the reality of social kinds—such as money, nationality, and gender—is a central issue in social ontology. This paper defends a framework we call gradational realism, according to which the reality of social kinds is neither absolute nor binary but varies according to the degree to which four operational criteria are satisfied. These criteria are: (1) explanatory–predictive role, meaning that removing the social kind would reduce our ability to explain or predict social phenomena; (2) intersubjective and institutional stability, meaning that agents and institutions consistently reproduce the kind; (3) structural adequacy, whereby institutional rules and material or documentary anchors support its stabilization; and (4) empirical tractability, meaning that the kind can be systematically assessed and investigated. Three case studies—money, group type II, and the state—show that social kinds possess different degrees of reality: money and the state exhibit strong reality, whereas group type II has a moderate and conditional reality. The proposed framework enables a shift from absolutist judgments to gradational and structure-sensitive evaluations of social kinds.

Keywords

Gradational Realism
Social Kinds
Explanatory Power
Anchoring and Grounding
Institutions and Collective Acceptance

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