Life and action : elementary structures of practice and practical thought / Michael Thompson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Thompson, Michael, 1959-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Ethics.

Conduct of life.

Life.

Agent (Philosophy).

Act (Philosophy).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (232 p.)

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press, 2008.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Any sound practical philosophy must be clear on practical concepts-concepts, in particular, of life, action, and practice. This clarity is Michael Thompson's aim in his ambitious work. In Thompson's view, failure to comprehend the structures of thought and judgment expressed in these concepts has disfigured modern moral philosophy, rendering it incapable of addressing the larger questions that should be its focus.

Contents:

Part I: The representation of life

Can life be given a real definition?

The representation of the living individual

The representation of the life-form itself

Part II: Naive action theory

Types of practical explanation

Naive explanation of action

Action and time

Part III: Practical generality

Two tendencies in practical philosophy

Practices and dispositions as sources of the goodness of individual actions

Practice and disposition as sources of individual action.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780674267770

067426777X

9780674033962

0674033965

OCLC:

431351552