Autonomous Agents: From Self-Control to Autonomy

ISBN-13: 9780195150438 / Angielski / Miękka / 2001 / 288 str.

Alfred R. Mele

Opis

This book addresses two related topics: self-control and individual autonomy. In approaching these issues, Mele develops a conception of an ideally self-controlled person, and argues that even such a person can fall short of personal autonomy. He then examines what needs to be added to such a person to yield an autonomous agent and develops two overlapping answers: one for compatibilist believers in human autonomy and one for incompatibilists. While remaining neutral between those who hold that autonomy is compatible with determinism and those who deny this, Mele shows that belief that there are autonomous agents is better grounded than belief that there are not.

Recenzje

extremely interesting and carefully argued book ... His general approach, which is fresh and original, runs as follows. He articulates a model of the ideally self-controlled person and argues that even such a person can fall short of autonomy, or self-government. ... Mele has a finely tuned sense of the 'pull', or intuitive appeal, of both compatabilism and incompatibilism.