Agency and Action (Royal Institute of Philosophy Supplements, Series Number 55)

This collection of original essays by leading philosophers covers the entire range of the philosophy of action. 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? Contents ......Page 4 Preface ......Page 6 Notes on Contributors ......Page 8 Agency and Actions / JENNIFER HORNSBY ......Page 10 Two Ways of Explaining Actions / JONATHAN DANCY......Page 34 Anscombe on 'Practical Knowledge' / RICHARD MORAN......Page 52 Action, the Act Requirement and Criminal Liability / ANTONY DUFF......Page 78 Emotion, Cognition and Action / DAVID CHARLES......Page 114 Kantian Autonomy / TERENCE IRWIN......Page 146 The Structure of Orthonomy / MICHAEL SMITH......Page 174 Normativity and the Will / R. JAY WALLACE......Page 204 Can Libertarians Make Promises? / ALFRED MELE......Page 226 Intention as Faith / RAE LANGTON......Page 252 The Destruction of the World Trade Center and the Law on Event-identity / MICHAEL S. MOORE......Page 268 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 -- Structure Of Orthonomy / Michael Smith -- Normativity And The Will / R. Jay Wallace -- Can Libertarians Make Promises? / Alfred Mele -- Intention As Faith / Rae Langton -- Destruction Of The World Trade Center And The Law On Event-identity. Edited By John Hyman And Helen Steward. Includes Bibliographical References. Among philosophical questions about human agency, one can distinguish in a rough and ready way between those that arise in philosophy of mind and those that arise in ethics.