The Philosophy of Action: An Anthology is an authoritative collection of key work by top scholars, arranged thematically and accompanied by expert introductions written by the editors. This unique collection brings together a selection of the most influential essays from the 1960s to the present day.
- An invaluable collection that brings together a selection of the most important classic and contemporary articles in philosophy of action, from the 1960’s to the present day
- No other broad-ranging and detailed coverage of this kind currently exists in the field
- Each themed section opens with a synoptic introduction and includes a comprehensive further reading list to guide students
- Includes sections on action and agency, willing and trying, intention and intentional action, acting for a reason, the explanation of action, and free agency and responsibility
- Written and organised in a style that allows it to be used as a primary teaching resource in its own right
Table of Contents:
Preface x
Source Acknowledgments xi
1 Philosophical Investigations §§611–628 1
Ludwig Wittgenstein
Part I Action and Agency 3
Introduction to Part I 5
2 Agency 10
Donald Davidson
3 Shooting, Killing and Dying 21
Jonathan Bennett
4 The Problem of Action 26
Harry G. Frankfurt
5 Agents and their Actions 33
Maria Alvarez and John Hyman
6 Agency and Actions 48
Jennifer Hornsby
Part II Willing and Trying 63
Introduction to Part II 65
7 Acting, Willing, Desiring 69
H. A. Prichard
8 The Will 76
Gilbert Ryle
9 Acting and Trying to Act 83
Jennifer Hornsby
10 Action and Volition 91
E. J. Lowe
Part III Intention and Intentional Action 101
Introduction to Part III 103
11 Intention §§1–9 107
G. E. M. Anscombe
12 Knowing What I Am Doing 113
Keith S. Donnellan
13 Intending 119
Donald Davidson
14 Two Faces of Intention 130
Michael Bratman
15 Acting As One Intends 145
John McDowell
16 Intentional Action and Side Effects in Ordinary Language 158
Joshua Knobe
17 The Toxin Puzzle 161
Gregory S. Kavka
18 The Ontology of Social Agency 164
Frederick Stoutland
Part IV Acting for a Reason 177
Introduction to Part IV 179
19 Actions, Reasons, and Causes 183
Donald Davidson
20 How to Act for a Good Reason 193
Jonathan Dancy
21 Acting for a Reason 206
Christine Korsgaard
22 Arational Actions 222
Rosalind Hursthouse
23 Agency, Reason, and the Good 230
Joseph Raz
24 Skepticism About Weakness of Will 245
Gary Watson
Part V The Explanation of Action 257
Introduction to Part V 259
25 Explanation in Science and in History §§1–3 263
Carl G. Hempel
26 The Rationale of Actions 270
William Dray
27 Explanation in Science and in History §§4–7 280
Carl G. Hempel
28 The Explanatory Role of Being Rational 289
Michael Smith
29 The Conceivability of Mechanism 303
Norman Malcolm
30 Action, Causality, and Teleological Explanation 315
Arthur W. Collins
31 Psychological vs. Biological Explanations of Behavior 333
Fred Dretske
Part VI Free Agency and Responsibility 341
Introduction to Part VI 343
32 Human Freedom and the Self 347
Roderick Chisholm
33 Alternate Possibilities and Moral Responsibility 353
Harry G. Frankfurt
34 Responsibility, Control, and Omissions 360
John Martin Fischer
35 The Impossibility of Ultimate Responsibility? 373
Galen Strawson
36 Moral Responsibility and the Concept of Agency 382
Helen Steward
37 Free Will and Science 393
Alfred R. Mele
