Single Idea 20025

[catalogued under 20. Action / B. Preliminaries of Action / 1. Intention to Act / a. Nature of intentions]

Full Idea

If an agent tries to do something by two different means, only one of which can succeed, then the behaviour is rational, even though one of them is an attempt to do an action which cannot succeed.

Gist of Idea

We might intend two ways to acting, knowing only one of them can succeed

Source

Wilson,G/Schpall,S (Action [2012], 2)

Book Reference

'Stanford Online Encyclopaedia of Philosophy', ed/tr. Stanford University [plato.stanford.edu], p.8


A Reaction

[a concise account of a laborious account of an example from Bratman 1984, 1987] Bratman uses this to challenge the 'Simple View', that intention leads straightforwardly to action.