Grey's Anatomy, Crime and Punishment, a university class in Music Appreciation, following the NHL, and even some sexual relations. The list goes on I'm sure.
The list above refers to television I watch, books I've read, things I have learned, and even people I have slept with in order to increase my social capital.
Social Capital: that which gives an individual leverage in social interaction; outlets to create rapport through common interests or experiences; stories or anecdotes that are amusing, shocking, and/or outrageous in order to capture the attention of others in a given social situation.
I would argue, as I am sure it has been argued before, that most of what we do is motivated, either consciously or subconsciously, by the desire to increase one's social capital. The problem that follows is trying to distinguish what the value of these pursuits is beyond their social capital. Do I actually like Grey's Anatomy, or do I merely watch it and so my room mate and I have something to obsess over?
Most fear acknowledging that their love of Beethoven, at least where their love originated, is a product of wanting to seem cultural and artistic in the eyes of friends and colleagues. Admitting the universal motivating force of social capital makes one seem dishonest or insincere. If social capital does motivate all our pursuits, we are only hypocritical if we do not acknowledge it's influence. It is only dishonest if we DON'T concede to the influence of social capital.
It may seem cynical. It may take all the fun out of classical music and the literature of the canon. It may cause doubt and second guessing. But even this Blog is a product of paying with social capital.
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8 comments:
It's fun to obsess. I'm an obsesser. But when I obsess I try to drag as many people as I can along with me, because it's more fun to do things with friends. And if we don't obsess together, we're just surviving together.
OMG, you've discovered Putnum. Putnum's writings on social capital has influenced me in prfound ways. I've written numerous papers on the subject, and would be so glad to share them with you. Miss you.
Is the Putnam from Putnam's Prairie Emporium? I loved that show.
I did a wee bit of research into the origin of "social capital". The mention of this Putnum seems to be the most definitive source I have heard of yet.
My problem with the theory of social capital is that, in principle, it faces no recalcitrant data. Everything I do might be explained in terms of my wanting to increase my social capital. But what explanatory power is that? Conversely, nothing could ever not be explained in terms of the theory, so nothing could possibly refute it. I'm no die hard about falsification, but I do think that a theory, in order to be philosophically and scientifically interesting, has to be capable of handling difficult cases, which we otherwise might be unable to explain. Moreover, why prefer this over any other theory of human behaviour? If question has no answer, then I see no reason for it to occupy any of my mental economy.
By the way: hi.
Apparently it IS the Putnam from Putnam's Prairie Emporium.
you watch Grey's Anatomy because you LOVE IT.
"sexy, you're so sexy..."
i think you are blogging about social capital just to increase your social capital... and look how well you've done - 8 comments!
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