Actions, Reasons, and Causes
E289481
Actions, Reasons, and Causes is a highly influential 1963 philosophical essay by Donald Davidson that argues for the causal theory of action, claiming that an agent’s reasons can be understood as causes of their actions.
All labels observed (2)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Actions, Reasons, and Causes canonical | 2 |
| Causal Explanation of Action | 1 |
Statements (34)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
academic article
ⓘ
philosophical essay ⓘ |
| arguesAgainst | non-causal theories of action explanation ⓘ |
| arguesFor | causal theory of action ⓘ |
| author | Donald Davidson ⓘ |
| claims |
Giving an agent’s reasons explains an action by citing its causes
ⓘ
Primary reasons are constituted by a pro-attitude and a belief ⓘ Rationalizations are a species of causal explanation ⓘ The same action can fall under different descriptions with different explanations ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| describedAs | highly influential essay in 20th-century analytic philosophy ⓘ |
| describedBySource | standard histories of analytic philosophy ⓘ |
| field |
action theory
ⓘ
analytic philosophy ⓘ philosophy of mind ⓘ |
| genre | philosophical literature ⓘ |
| hasConcept |
anomalous monism (as background view)
ⓘ
belief–desire explanation ⓘ intentional action ⓘ primary reason for action ⓘ rationalization as causal explanation ⓘ |
| hasPart |
analysis of the relation between reasons and causes
ⓘ
critique of non-causal accounts of action explanation ⓘ discussion of primary reasons as causes ⓘ |
| influenced |
contemporary philosophy of action
ⓘ
debates on reasons and causes ⓘ theories of rational explanation ⓘ |
| language | English ⓘ |
| mainThesis | An agent’s reasons for acting can be understood as causes of their actions ⓘ |
| mainTopic |
causal theory of action
ⓘ
philosophy of action ⓘ rational explanation ⓘ reasons and causes ⓘ |
| publicationYear | 1963 ⓘ |
Referenced by (3)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Causal Explanation of Action