Heuer, U (2014) XIII-Intentions and the Reasons for Which We Act. Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society, 114 (3pt3). pp. 291-315. ISSN 0066-7374
Abstract
Many of the things we do in the course of a day we don't do intentionally: blushing, sneezing, breathing, blinking, smiling—to name but a few. But we also do act intentionally, and often when we do we act for reasons. Whether we always act for reasons when we act intentionally is controversial. But at least the converse is generally accepted: when we act for reasons we always act intentionally. Necessarily, it seems. In this paper, I argue that acting intentionally is not in all cases acting for a reason. Instead, intentional agency involves a specific kind of control. Having this kind of control makes it possible to modify one's action in the light of reasons. Intentional agency opens the possibility of acting in the light of reasons. I also explain why when we act with an intention (and not just intentionally in a broader sense) we act for reasons. In the second part of the paper, I draw on these results to show that the dominant view of reasons to intend and the rationality of intentions should be rejected.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (Leeds) > School of Philosophy, Religion and History of Science (Leeds) > School of Philosophy (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 17 Feb 2017 14:12 |
Last Modified: | 17 Feb 2017 14:12 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9264.2014.00374.x |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Oxford University Press |
Identification Number: | 10.1111/j.1467-9264.2014.00374.x |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:112516 |