Agency and Action

Collection of original essays by leading philosophers on the philosophy of action.

The concept of action now occupies a central place in ethics, metaphysics and jurisprudence. This collection of original essays by leading philosophers covers the entire range of the philosophy of action, including the nature of actions themselves and the place of the concept of action in criminal law.One of the most exciting developments in philosophy in the last fifty years is the resurgence in the philosophy of action. The concept of action now occupies a central place in ethics, metaphysics and jurisprudence. This collection of original essays, by some of the most astute and influential philosophers working in this area, covers the entire range of the philosophy of action. Topics covered include the nature of actions themselves; how the concepts of act, agent, cause and event are related to each other; self-knowledge, emotion, autonomy and freedom in human life; and the place of the concept of action in criminal law. The volume concludes with a major essay by one of America's leading authorities in the philosophy of law on 'the 3.5 billion dollar question': was the destruction of the World Trade Center one event or two?