The Biological Foundations of Action

Derek M Jones

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English

Routledge
14 January 2020

Philosophy of mind

Series: History and Philosophy of Biology

"Philosophers have traditionally assumed that the difference between active and passive movement could be explained by the presence or absence of an intention in the mind of the agent. This assumption has led to the neglect of many interesting active behaviors that do not depend on intentions, including the ""mindless"" actions of humans and the activities of non-human animals. In this book Jones offers a broad account of agency that unifies these cases. The book addresses a range of questions, including: When are movements properly attributed to whole agents, rather than to their parts? What does it mean for an agent to guide its action? What distinguishes agents from other complex systems? What is the relationship between action and adaptive behavior? And why might the study of living systems be the key to understanding agency?

This book makes an important contribution to current philosophical debate on the nature and origins of agency. It defines action as a uniquely biological process and recasts human intentional action as a specialized case of a broader and more common phenomenon than has been previously assumed. Uniting findings from philosophy, cognitive science, psychology, biology, computer science, complexity theory and ethology, this book will be of interest to students and scholars working in these areas."

By: Derek M Jones
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm,
Weight: 185g
ISBN: 9780367358600
ISBN 10: 0367358603
Series: History and Philosophy of Biology
Pages: 124
Publication Date: 14 January 2020
Audience: College/higher education , General/trade , Primary , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Derek M. Jones is Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Director of Cognitive Science at the University of Evansville, USA.

Reviews for The Biological Foundations of Action

Recent decades have seen a rise of theories of human agency that acknowledge its biological roots. This development encompasses both the philosophy of biology and `classical' analytic philosophy of mind and action-so far, however, in the form of two largely separate debates. Jones' monograph on The Biological Foundations of Action is a most welcome contribution, as it engages with both of these debates. Anne Sophie Meincke, University of Exeter, History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences