Intentions, conventions, rules, and reality

This thesis examines the role of collective intentionality in creating and preserving social institutions. I present two theories of the construction of social reality: one offered by John Searle in his book, The Construction of Social Reality, the other developed from David Lewis' account of the role of conventions in language. I argue that the only substantial difference between the two theories is that Searle takes collective intentionality to be a primitive phenomenon, while the Lewisian theory offers a reduction. If we are then to choose between the two theories, we may rest our decision on the plausibility of reductionism in this domain. I then argue that the Lewisian does not sufficiently capture the nature of collective intentionality, and conclude that if we are to choose between these two theories, we must side with Searle.