Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Reason explanation
T2 - a first-order normative account
AU - Manson, Neil C.
N1 - The final, definitive version of this article has been published in the Journal of Philosophical Explorations, 7 (2), 2004, © Taylor & Francis
PY - 2004/5
Y1 - 2004/5
N2 - How do reason explanations explain? One view is that they require the deployment of a tacit psychological theory; another is that even if no tacit theory is involved, we must still conceive of reasons as mental states. By focusing on the subjective nature of agency, and by casting explanations as responses to why questions that assuage agents puzzlement, reason explanations can be profitably understood as part of our traffic in first-order content amongst perspectival subjects. An outline is offered of such an account of reason explanation, one that fully acknowledges the distinctive first-order first-person normative perspective of agency.
AB - How do reason explanations explain? One view is that they require the deployment of a tacit psychological theory; another is that even if no tacit theory is involved, we must still conceive of reasons as mental states. By focusing on the subjective nature of agency, and by casting explanations as responses to why questions that assuage agents puzzlement, reason explanations can be profitably understood as part of our traffic in first-order content amongst perspectival subjects. An outline is offered of such an account of reason explanation, one that fully acknowledges the distinctive first-order first-person normative perspective of agency.
KW - philosophy of mind
KW - reason explanations
KW - Davidson
KW - Dancy
KW - Bittner
KW - agency
U2 - 10.1080/13869790410001694471
DO - 10.1080/13869790410001694471
M3 - Journal article
VL - 7
SP - 113
EP - 130
JO - Philosophical Explorations
JF - Philosophical Explorations
SN - 1386-9795
IS - 2
ER -