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Single Idea 7999

[filed under theme 20. Action / A. Definition of Action / 1. Action Theory ]

Full Idea

Whatever a man does, good or bad, in thought, word or deed, has these five sources of action: the body, the lower 'I am', the means of perception, the means of action, and Fate.

Gist of Idea

All actions come from: body, lower self, perception, means of action, or Fate

Source

Anon (Bhag) (The Bhagavad Gita [c.500 BCE], 18.14/15)

Book Ref

'The Bhagavad Gita', ed/tr. Mascaro,Juan [Penguin 1962], p.116


A Reaction

The 'means of action' will presumably take care of anything we haven't thought of! Nothing quite matches the idea of 'the will' here. A twitch from the first, eating from the second, a startled jump from the third, struck by lightning from the fifth.


The 12 ideas with the same theme [general ideas about the nature of action]:

All actions come from: body, lower self, perception, means of action, or Fate [Anon (Bhag)]
It is a delusion to separate the man from the deed, like the flash from the lightning [Nietzsche]
Actions are just a release of force. They seize on something, which becomes the purpose [Nietzsche]
Nietzsche classified actions by the nature of the agent, not the nature of the act [Nietzsche, by Foot]
If a desire leads to a satisfactory result by an odd route, the causal theory looks wrong [Chisholm]
Philosophy of action studies the roles of psychological states in causing behaviour [Mele]
There is collective action, where a trend is manifest, but is not attributable to individuals [Lukes]
Theory of action focuses on explanation and prediction; practical action on justification and choice [Korsgaard]
The three main theories of action involve the will, or belief-plus-desire, or an agent [Lowe]
Philosophy of action studies the nature of agency, and of deliberate actions [Stout,R]
Agency is causal processes that are sensitive to justification [Stout,R]
Actions include: the involuntary, the purposeful, the intentional, and the self-consciously autonomous [Wilson/Schpall]