Human Action, Deliberation and Causation (Philosophical Studies Series)

The essays collected together in this volume, many of them written by leading scholars in the field, explore the commonsensical fact that our presence as reasonable agents makes a causal difference to the course of events in the world. It is generally acknowledged that two distinct processes are involved in human action: deliberation and causation - processes that should be described in very different ways. Although each contributor to this volume will think differently about how to conceive of the relation between these processes, all agree that progress in the philosophy of mind and action will depend upon a better understanding of the relation between deliberation and causation. This collection will be of interest to professionals and graduate students working in the philosophy of mind and action as well as in related disciplines such as metaphysics, philosophy of psychology and moral psychology.