Philosophy of Action

This is the best conspectus of the philosophy of action since 1945 I have seen: an excellent selection of articles, nicely organized, with concise and reliable introductions that guide the reader deftly through each topic.John Hyman, The Queen's College, Oxford, UKPhilosophy of Action: An Anthology offers the reader thirty-seven of the best previously publishedpapers on action in the last half-century or so. It is far more comprehensive than earlier collections and has minimal overlap with them. Each of the six parts commences with a helpful overview by the editors of the issues and problems that arise in the papers. They skillfully set the stage for the papers that follow. The collection will not only become first choice as the text for courses in the Philosophy of Action, but will be of great use to the professional philosopher of action, who will have these papers collected in one convenient place for the first time.David-Hillel Ruben, University of London, UKPhilosophy of Action: An Anthology brings together a selection of the most influential classic andcontemporary essays on the subject by leading scholars, from the 1960s to the present day. In creating a unique collection of essays on the subject, the book answers a pressing need for an anthology in which many voices contribute to offer an introductory and unprecedented survey of the field.The essays, arranged thematically and accompanied by expert introductions written by the editors, cover action and agency, volition and causation, intention and intentional action, reasons and motivation, the explanation of action, and responsibility and free agency. Edited by leading scholars in philosophy, both highly regarded for their work in the area, this is an invaluable resource for teaching upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses in the philosophy of action, and as a general reference volume of seminal papers on the subject.