Reasons and Purposes: Human Rationality and the Teleological Explanation of Action

ISBN-13: 9780199250370 / Angielski / Twarda / 2003 / 190 str.

G. F. Schueler

Opis

People act for reasons. That is how we understand ourselves. But what is it to act for a reason? This is what Fred Schueler investigates. He rejects the dominant view that the beliefs and desires that constitute our reasons for acting simply cause us to act as we do, and argues instead for a view centred on practical deliberation--our ability to evaluate the reasons we accept. Schueler's account of 'reasons explanations' emphasizes the relation between reasons and purposes, and the fact that the reasons for an action are not always good reasons.

Recenzje

Schueler has offered a valuable contribution to the literature on reasons explanations of action. Reasons and Purposes is a worthwhile read for philosophers and psychologists interested in the nature and explanations of human action, as well as those working on human rationality. It presents new challenges to causalists; and it should prove to be a valuable resource for those dissatisfied with causalist proposals.