[Revised entry by Michael Rescorla on February 22, 2024.
Changes to: Main text, Bibliography, notes.html]
The central philosophical task posed by conventions is to analyze what they are and how they differ from mere regularities of action and cognition. Subsidiary questions include: How do conventions arise? How are they sustained? How do we select between alternative conventions? Why should one conform to convention? What social good, if any, do conventions serve? How does convention relate to such notions as rule, norm, custom, practice, institution, and social contract? Apart from its intrinsic interest, convention is important because philosophers…

Originally appeared on Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Read More