{"product_id":"action-reconceptualized-9781498519649","title":"Action Reconceptualized","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe concept of action that requires philosophical analysis is one that concerns behavior characteristically found in humans. In Action Reconceptualized: Human Agency and Its Sources, David K. Chan examines the sources of human agency that are proposed in causal theories of actionnamely desire, intention, and tryingand distinguishes them from each other in terms of their roles in practical reasoning and motivation. He  conceptualizes them in relation to each other in a way that is consistent and useful for answering a number of questions that are central to the philosophy of action. The action theory in this book addresses the need to understand human agency for its own sake, but it also serves another purpose. When the philosopher Elizabeth Anscombe stressed the need to do philosophy of action before doing ethical theory, what she meant was that moral philosophers should first work out a proper account of the relationship between the inner states of a person and the actions that she pe\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChan's discussions and arguments are often insightful and engaging.... [I]t is very clearly written and its arguments are thought-provoking and instructive. This is enough to make Chan's book a valuable contribution to contemporary philosophy of action. * Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *\u003cbr\u003eAn instructive examination of basic concepts in the philosophy of action, including action, intention, decision, and trying. Chan usefully brings the philosophy of action into contact with ethical theory and the moral assessment of agents and their actions. -- Alfred R. Mele, Florida State University\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePreface  Introduction \tThe Need to Reconceptualize Action \tWhat Needs to be Reconceptualized \tPutting the Pieces Together  Chapter 1: Towards a Theory of Action \tPhilosophy of Action \tCausal and Non-Causal Theories \tConceptualizing Action \t‘Actopia’ \tEvaluating Action \tFixing the Constants \tAn Outline of this Book  Chapter 2: Intention \tSkepticism about Intention \tThe Planning Theory of Intention \tIntention and Reasons for Acting \tComparing Concepts of Intention  Chapter 3: Desire \tDefining Desire \tExtrinsic Desire \tDesire Ownership \tMotivation, Reason, and Akratic Agency  Chapter 4: From Volitions to Tryings \tVolitions and the Regress Problem \tWhy Do Volitionalists Say Strange Things? \tA Theory of Tryings \tThe Identity-Theory of Trying as Mental and Physical \tMental Tryings \tThe Theoretical Advantage of Conceptualizing Tryings as Processes \tNon-Observational Knowledge of Trying  Chapter 5: Problems and Issues in Action Theory \tDeviant Causality \tThe Simple View \tNon-Intentional Actions \tBasic and Non-Basic Actions \tThe Nature of Action \tDesiring and Intending to Try  Chapter 6: Rational and Moral Agency \tThe Doctrine of Double Effect \tThe Moral Significance of Non-Intentional Agency \tThe Argument Against Ethical Rationalism  Conclusion \tThe Reconceptualized Action Theory \tThe Importance of Getting It Right  Bibliography  Index","brand":"Lexington Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51040670187863,"sku":"9781498519649","price":79.2,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781498519649.jpg?v=1750947459","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/action-reconceptualized-9781498519649","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}