The Impossibility of Which Naturalism? A Response and a Reply.

Paul Lewis has recently engaged Varela and Harre’s discussion of Bashkar’s problem with the reification of social structure. Lewis argues that Varela and Harré are correct in their conclusion that social structure is not an efficient cause—a powerful particular. Nevertheless, he then argues that social structure is an effective cause. In this paper I address this apparent paradox by further developing causal powers theory. I argue that if x-structure is not causally powerful it cannot be causally effective. Any declaration to the contrary renders causal powers theory incoherent. The implication is that any attempt to save the thesis that social structure is an effective cause is problematic if it appeals to an alternative notion of causality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]