The Inner Life of a Rational Agent: In Defence of Philosophical Behaviourism - Hardcover

Stout, Rowland

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0748623434 ISBN 13: 9780748623433

Verlag: Edinburgh Univ. Press, 2006

Inhaltsangabe

A radical approach to the philosophy of mind, in which states of mind are identified with dispositions to behave in certain ways.

The approach taken by Rowland Stout is a thoroughly up-to-date version of behaviourism, although not a form of behaviourism that denies the existence of consciousness, free will, rationality, etc., nor aims to reduce these to other sorts of things. Properly understood, the idea of being disposed to behave in a certain way is seen to be exactly as rich and interesting as the idea of being in a certain state of mind. The fact that our ways of behaving are sensitive to practical rationality is taken to be an essential aspect of our nature as conscious agents. And in describing such a version of practical rationality Stout claims we are describing the mental state of someone whose behaviour is sensitive to it.

His account of behaviourism rests on two central notions--that of a causal disposition to behave and that of sensitivity to practical rationality. He explains and develops these notions in some detail, and then uses them to construct powerful and original accounts of belief, intention, knowledge, perception and consciousness.

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Über die Autorinnen und Autoren

Rowland Stout is a College Lecturer in Philosophy at the University College Dublin. He is author of Things that Happen Because They Should (OUP, 1996) and Action (Acumen, 2010).

Rowland Stout is College Lecturer in Philosophy at the University College Dublin

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Edinburgh Univ. Press
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2006
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0748623434
• ISBN 13: 9780748623433
• Einband: Gebundene Ausgabe
• Auflage: 1
• Anzahl der Seiten: 221
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar