Steward, H orcid.org/0000-0003-1654-577X (2009) Animal Agency. Inquiry: an interdisciplinary journal of philosophy, 52 (3). pp. 217-231. ISSN 0020-174X
Abstract
Are animals agents? This question demands a prior answer to the question of what an agent is. The paper argues that we ought not to think of this as merely a matter of choosing from a range of alternative definitional stipulations. Evidence from developmental psychology is offered in support of the view that a basic concept of agency is a very early natural acquisition, which is established prior to the development of any full-blown propositional attitude concepts. Then it is argued that whatever one makes of the developmental evidence, it is in any case arguable on other grounds that the concept of agency as we have it in adulthood remains perfectly comprehensible independently of any reference to the more sophisticated propositional attitudes. Any reluctance we might feel to ascribe such things as beliefs to non-human animals, therefore, need not stand in the way of the claim that they are agents, nevertheless. The paper attempts to characterise the core of this basic agency concept, and discusses, albeit briefly, the question how we ought to decide which animals are to be thought of as falling under it. It concludes with some speculations about the nature of the intellectual currents which have made the shape of this important concept so hard for us to discern.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | (c) 2009, Taylor & Francis. This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Inquiry: an interdisciplinary journal of philosophy on 27 May 2009, available online: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00201740902917119 |
Keywords: | Infants; perception; causality |
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: | 18 Nov 2016 16:32 |
Last Modified: | 19 Nov 2016 02:12 |
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00201740902917119 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Taylor & Francis |
Identification Number: | 10.1080/00201740902917119 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:84728 |