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The contours of control.
- Source :
-
Philosophical Studies . Sep2014, Vol. 170 Issue 3, p395-411. 17p. - Publication Year :
- 2014
-
Abstract
- Necessarily, if S lacks the ability to exercise (some degree of) control, S is not an agent. If S is not an agent, S cannot act intentionally, responsibly, or rationally, nor can S possess or exercise free will. In spite of the obvious importance of control, however, no general account of control exists. In this paper I reflect on the nature of control itself. I develop accounts of control's exercise and control's possession that illuminate what it is for degrees of control-that is, the degree of control an agent possesses or exercises in a given circumstance-to vary. Finally, I demonstrate the usefulness of the account on offer by showing how it generates a solution to a long-standing problem for causalist theories of action, namely, the problem of deviant causation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 00318116
- Volume :
- 170
- Issue :
- 3
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Philosophical Studies
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 97459919
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s11098-013-0236-1