On social facts /

A fresh and promising approach to an old and vexing question in social theory: are social groups (collectivities) real in any sense(s) that is (are) independent of the thoughts, actions, beliefs, etc., of the individuals making up the group? Gilbert answers yes, and she develops involved but compelling arguments in favor of the reality she calls "plural subject" phenomena. Gilbert is a philosopher by training and, as such, brings to bear a sharply analytic and often refreshingly novel perspective on the fundamental positions of Max Weber, Georg Simmel, and Emile Durkheim. This reviewer found Gilbert's explication, defense, and development of Durkheim's theory of "social facts" particularly brilliant. The author writes clearly, exhibiting a penchant for creative and clever examples and illustrations to bolster her arguments. The book itself is well produced and contains comprehensive endnotes, bibliography, and index. A first-rate treatise. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -W. P. Nye, Hollins College