Summary. The main problem of the philosophy of action is often introduced by a question posed by Wittgenstein in the Investigations: “what is left over if I subtract the fact that my arm goes up from the fact that I raise my arm?” (§621) The plausible background assumption of this question is that the property of raising my arm must be distinct from the property of having my arm go up, since I can have the latter without the former. This suggests that performing intentional actions is not simply a matter or undergoing the bodily movements which are partly constitutive of those actions. Given this, we can then ask: what is it to perform an intentional action? (Or, equivalently: What is it to exercise one’s will?)

We will begin by discussing the first half of Anscombe’s Intention, which provides the foundation for much work in the philosophy of action in the second half of the 20th century. Following this, we will discuss the dominant trend in 20th century philosophy of action: causal analyses of intentional action, which claim that intentional actions are distinguished from other kinds of events by their being caused in a certain way by certain mental states. We will discuss several different versions of the causal theory of action, along with several important objections to such theories.

Causal theories of action suggest that mental states like belief, desire, and intention are more fundamental than intentional action. Following our discussion of causal theories of action we will discuss views of action and the mind which give a different view of this relationship. This may include some discussion of the relationship between functionalist views of mental states and action, of ‘teleological’ theories of action, of the relationship between action and the contents of perceptions, and of Heidegger’s notion of ‘comportment.’

Requirements. This course will be taught as a high-level graduate seminar. Undergraduates are welcome, but must be Honours students in the Philosophy Department, and must have some background in analytic philosophy. Students will be required to do substantial weekly readings and submit a paper at the end of the course. If you are unsure as to whether you should take the course, you may want to look at some of the readings listed below; alternatively, you should feel free to contact me by e-mail or schedule an appointment.

Texts. You may want to purchase Anscombe’s Intention, which is available at Paragraphe Books. Other readings will be made available for photocopying as the semester progresses.

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