Philosophy Bites

Jennifer Hornsby on Human Agency

Jun 1, 2008
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INSIGHT

Human Agency

  • Human agency refers to humans' ability to act and cause change in the world.
  • This involves causing or preventing something from happening.
INSIGHT

Standard View of Agency

  • The dominant philosophical view sees actions as events caused by beliefs and desires.
  • These mental states are thought of as causal antecedents.
ANECDOTE

Crossing the Road Example

  • Jennifer Hornsby uses the example of someone crossing the road to illustrate the standard view.
  • The person's desire to catch a bus and belief about its location explain the action.
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