Social ontology asks philosophical questions about the nature and existence of social phenomena: What is an institution, and how and and in virtue of what does it exist? Are social structures dependent on the beliefs and actions of individuals, or do they have an existence of their own? Can groups be genuine agents with their own intentions and obligations? How does social power arise and persist?
Social ontology encompasses metaphysical questions about what social entities are and what holds them together: What characterizes institutions, norms, and roles, how do they arise, and to what extent are they dependent on or independent of individual beliefs and actions? How do social facts relate to physical and psychological facts?
It also includes questions about collective agency, action, and responsibility: Can groups act and have intentions in ways not reducible to individual actions and intentions? What obligations arise when individuals act together, and under what conditions can groups or collectives be held morally responsible?
Further, social ontology addresses questions about social power and normativity: How do power relations arise and persist through social structures and institutions, and how do the normative aspects of social phenomena – roles, obligations, and rights – relate to their descriptive aspects?
Finally, social ontology raises methodological questions about how the discipline should be conducted: To what extent should theories be ideal or nonideal, and can and should social ontology be critical rather than merely descriptive – and what does that mean in practice?