Social Explanation at the Macro and Micro Level: An Explanation of the Death of George Floyd

In this paper, I will use the case of George Floyd's death to explore the relative merits of social explanation at the macro and micro levels. I will argue that macro level social explanation (without reduction to microfoundations) is a legitimate form of explanation that should sometimes be preferred over micro level social explanation. In Floyd's case specifically, the macro level of explanation is adequate and to be preferred because it can provide grounds for effective social intervention which might prevent similar cases. On May 25, 2020, George Floyd was killed by police officer Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis, Minnesota while being arrested for the alleged use of counterfeit bills. While it is clear that Chauvin's actions were a cause of Floyd's death, much emerging anti-racist discourse has attempted to explain the event by appealing to systemic and institutional racism. The question of how best to explain Floyd's death is representative of a broader question in the philosophy of social science about when and how to cite "macro" or structural social phenomena as causes of events which include individuals.