Failures of agency : irrational behavior of self-understanding / Annemarie Kalis.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kalis, Annemarie, 1978-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Act (Philosophy).

Judgment (Ethics).

Ethical intuitionism.

Irrationalism (Philosophy).

Physical Description:

v, 187 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Lanham, Md. : Lexington Books, [2011]

Summary:

Failures of Agency: Irrational Behavior and Self-Understanding begins by exploring classic philosophical questions regarding the phenomenon of weakness of will or akrasia: doing A, even though, all things considered, you judge it best to do B. Does this phenomenon really exist, and if so, how should it be explained? Author Annemarie Kalis provides a historical overview of some traditional answers to these questions and addresses the main question: How does the phenomenon of "going against your own judgment" relate to the idea that we are rational beings? She elaborates on the notion of rational agency and shows how different types of behavior express or fail to express our rational agency. This leads to the speculation of what is needed for akratic action to be free action. Kalis develops a novel position, stating that certain widespread philosophical accounts of free action must conclude that "going against your own judgment" is necessarily unfree. This also requires a reflection on possible implications for moral responsibility. Would it mean that people cannot be held accountable for irrational behavior? Kalis offers insight on whether everyday irrational behavior differs from irrational behavior occurring in the context of psychiatric dysfunction and develops a view on how we should understand ourselves when we do something other than what we judge best. Written for philosophers, psychologists, and psychiatrists interested in issues of irrationality and philosophy of action, this is an indispensable book for both professionals and students interested in interdisciplinary endeavors in the science of mind and behavior. Book jacket.

Contents:

Introduction

The debate on akrasia

Action, agency, and rational agency

Control

Failures of agency

Moral responsibility

The boundaries of agency

Explaining failures of agency

Failures of agency and the self.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 169-182) and index.

ISBN:

9780739148884

0739148885

9780739170359

073917035X

OCLC:

729344033