Aspects of Agency: Decisions, Abilities, Explanations, and Free Will

Author:   Alfred R. Mele (William H. and Lucyle T. Werkmeister Professor of Philosophy, William H. and Lucyle T. Werkmeister Professor of Philosophy, Florida State University)
Publisher:   Oxford University Press Inc
ISBN:  

9780190659974


Pages:   262
Publication Date:   15 June 2017
Format:   Hardback
Availability:   To order   Availability explained
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Aspects of Agency: Decisions, Abilities, Explanations, and Free Will


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Author:   Alfred R. Mele (William H. and Lucyle T. Werkmeister Professor of Philosophy, William H. and Lucyle T. Werkmeister Professor of Philosophy, Florida State University)
Publisher:   Oxford University Press Inc
Imprint:   Oxford University Press Inc
Dimensions:   Width: 23.60cm , Height: 2.50cm , Length: 15.50cm
Weight:   0.481kg
ISBN:  

9780190659974


ISBN 10:   0190659971
Pages:   262
Publication Date:   15 June 2017
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   To order   Availability explained
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.

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Reviews

Congratulations to Alfred Mele for yet another outstanding book on free will! Mele is certainly one of the world's leading experts on the topics of free will and theory of action. In Aspects of Agency, Mele builds upon his highly influential work on agency, intention, and abilities to offer a compelling event-causal theory of libertarian free will. In doing so, he argues forcefully against those who contend his event causal libertarian theory cannot overcome the problem of luck, and he also shows why agent causal theories are no improvement over what he has to offer. Mele's book is an exciting addition to his earlier work on free will, since in this one he focuses his attention just on libertarianism. It is a beautifully written, tightly argued piece of philosophy from which both the general reader and the expert will profit handsomely. It is no doubt yet another game changer. -- Michael McKenna, Professor of Philosophy, the University of Arizona <em>Aspects of Agency</em> makes important contributions to our understanding of central topics in the philosophy of action, such as the nature of practical decisions, agents' abilities, commitments of causal theories of action explanation, and whether one's deciding is ever up to one, that are vital to understanding key positions and disputes in the free will literature. It is also a thoughtful and illuminating discussion of principal issues about free action. Mele's thesis that event-causal libertarianism is superior to agent-causal libertarianism is supported by scrupulous and trenchant argument. This excellent book is wonderfully clear and beautifully organized. The penetrating arguments will inspire any number of lively debates. -- Ishtiyaque Haji, Professor of Philosophy, University of Calgary This is an excellent book. The first part sets out the key notions involved in the free will debate with unmatched clarity. Al Mele, as a leading and analytically meticulous philosopher of both action and of freedom, is one of very few philosophers capable of doing this so well. The second part, an extended defense of event-causal libertarianism against the main objections, advances the debate in a lively and engaging way. Anyone who wishes to make further progress would be well-advised to take this important contribution into account. -- Derk Pereboom, Chair and Professor of Philosophy, Cornell University


"""Al Mele's impressive new book features his most recent contributions to the philosophy of agency and free will. Several of the early chapters set out the key notions in philosophy of action relevant to the free will debate, and they do so with unsurpassed lucidity. Participants in the free will debate will find this material valuable for clarifying their own thinking and writing... the book as a whole is another excellent contribution of Mele's to our understanding of agency and free will."" -- Derk Pereboom, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews ""Congratulations to Alfred Mele for yet another outstanding book on free will! Mele is certainly one of the world's leading experts on the topics of free will and theory of action. In Aspects of Agency, Mele builds upon his highly influential work on agency, intention, and abilities to offer a compelling event-causal theory of libertarian free will. In doing so, he argues forcefully against those who contend his event causal libertarian theory cannot overcome the problem of luck, and he also shows why agent causal theories are no improvement over what he has to offer. Mele's book is an exciting addition to his earlier work on free will, since in this one he focuses his attention just on libertarianism. It is a beautifully written, tightly argued piece of philosophy from which both the general reader and the expert will profit handsomely. It is no doubt yet another game changer."" -- Michael McKenna, Professor of Philosophy, the University of Arizona ""Aspects of Agency makes important contributions to our understanding of central topics in the philosophy of action, such as the nature of practical decisions, agents' abilities, commitments of causal theories of action explanation, and whether one's deciding is ever up to one, that are vital to understanding key positions and disputes in the free will literature. It is also a thoughtful and illuminating discussion of principal issues about free action. Mele's thesis that event-causal libertarianism is superior to agent-causal libertarianism is supported by scrupulous and trenchant argument. This excellent book is wonderfully clear and beautifully organized. The penetrating arguments will inspire any number of lively debates."" -- Ishtiyaque Haji, Professor of Philosophy, University of Calgary ""This is an excellent book. The first part sets out the key notions involved in the free will debate with unmatched clarity. Al Mele, as a leading and analytically meticulous philosopher of both action and of freedom, is one of very few philosophers capable of doing this so well. The second part, an extended defense of event-causal libertarianism against the main objections, advances the debate in a lively and engaging way. Anyone who wishes to make further progress would be well-advised to take this important contribution into account."" -- Derk Pereboom, Chair and Professor of Philosophy, Cornell University"


Congratulations to Alfred Mele for yet another outstanding book on free will! Mele is certainly one of the world's leading experts on the topics of free will and theory of action. In Aspects of Agency, Mele builds upon his highly influential work on agency, intention, and abilities to offer a compelling event-causal theory of libertarian free will. In doing so, he argues forcefully against those who contend his event causal libertarian theory cannot overcome the problem of luck, and he also shows why agent causal theories are no improvement over what he has to offer. Mele's book is an exciting addition to his earlier work on free will, since in this one he focuses his attention just on libertarianism. It is a beautifully written, tightly argued piece of philosophy from which both the general reader and the expert will profit handsomely. It is no doubt yet another game changer. -- Michael McKenna, Professor of Philosophy, the University of Arizona Aspects of Agency makes important contributions to our understanding of central topics in the philosophy of action, such as the nature of practical decisions, agents' abilities, commitments of causal theories of action explanation, and whether one's deciding is ever up to one, that are vital to understanding key positions and disputes in the free will literature. It is also a thoughtful and illuminating discussion of principal issues about free action. Mele's thesis that event-causal libertarianism is superior to agent-causal libertarianism is supported by scrupulous and trenchant argument. This excellent book is wonderfully clear and beautifully organized. The penetrating arguments will inspire any number of lively debates. -- Ishtiyaque Haji, Professor of Philosophy, University of Calgary This is an excellent book. The first part sets out the key notions involved in the free will debate with unmatched clarity. Al Mele, as a leading and analytically meticulous philosopher of both action and of freedom, is one of very few philosophers capable of doing this so well. The second part, an extended defense of event-causal libertarianism against the main objections, advances the debate in a lively and engaging way. Anyone who wishes to make further progress would be well-advised to take this important contribution into account. -- Derk Pereboom, Chair and Professor of Philosophy, Cornell University


Author Information

Alfred Mele is the author of nine previous OUP books and over 200 articles. He directed the Big Questions in Free Will Project (2010-2013) and is currently the director of the Philosophy and Science of Self-Control Project.

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