Interpersonal Communication as Social Action. (July 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Carassa, Antonella; Colombetti, Marco
• Other Names: Zamora-Bonilla Jesús guest-editor.; Bouvier Alban guest-editor.; Kaldis Byron guest-editor.; Montuschi Eleonora guest-editor.; Zahle Julie guest-editor.
• Is Part Of: Philosophy of the social sciences. Volume 45:Number 4/5(2015:Jul./Sep.)
• Page Start: 407
• Page End: 423
• Publication Date: 2015-07
• Subjects: interpersonal communication -- social normativity -- interpersonal normativity -- responsibility -- communicative intention; Social sciences -- Periodicals; Social sciences -- Methodology -- Periodicals; Sciences sociales -- Périodiques; Sciences sociales -- Méthodologie -- Périodiques; 300.1
• DOI: 10.1177/0048393115580265
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0048-3931

Abstract

We compare a number of influential approaches to human communication with the aim of understanding what it means for interpersonal communication to be a form of social action. In particular, we discuss the large-scale social normativity advocated by speech act theory, the view of communication as small-scale social interaction proper of Gricean approaches, and the intimate connection between communication and cooperation defended by Tomasello. We then argue in favor of a small-scale view of communication capable of accounting for the normative effects of communicative acts; to this purpose, we introduce the concept of interpersonal normativity and analyze its relationship with communicative intentions.