Agency and Action

Collection of original essays by leading philosophers on the philosophy of action.

John Hyman (Edited by), Helen Steward (Edited by)

9780521603560, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 15 November 2004

350 pages
22.9 x 15.4 x 1.9 cm, 0.5 kg

One of the most exciting developments in philosophy in the last fifty years is the resurgence in the philosophy of action. The concept of action now occupies a central place in ethics, metaphysics and jurisprudence. This collection of original essays, by some of the most astute and influential philosophers working in this area, covers the entire range of the philosophy of action. Topics covered include the nature of actions themselves; how the concepts of act, agent, cause and event are related to each other; self-knowledge, emotion, autonomy and freedom in human life; and the place of the concept of action in criminal law. The volume concludes with a major essay by one of America's leading authorities in the philosophy of law on 'the 3.5 billion dollar question': was the destruction of the World Trade Center one event or two?

Agency and actions Jennifer Hornsby
Two ways of explaining actions Jonathan Dancy
Anscombe on practical knowledge Richard Moran
Action, the act requirement and criminal liability Antony Duff
Emotion, cognition and action David Charles
Kantian autonomy Terence Irwin
The structure of orthonomy Michael Smith
Normativity and the will Jay Wallace
Can libertarians make promises? Alfred Mele
Intention as faith Rae Langton
The destruction of the World Trade Center and the law on event-identity Michael S. Moore.

Subject Areas: Jurisprudence & philosophy of law [LAB], Philosophy of mind [HPM]