Single Idea 5488

[catalogued under 20. Action / B. Preliminaries of Action / 2. Willed Action / c. Agent causation]

Full Idea

A Humean theory of causation (as observed regularities) makes it very difficult for anyone even to suggest a plausible theory of human agency.

Gist of Idea

Regularity theories of causation cannot give an account of human agency

Source

Brian Ellis (The Philosophy of Nature: new essentialism [2002], Ch.7)

Book Reference

Ellis,Brian: 'The Philosophy of Nature: new essentialism' [Acumen 2002], p.141


A Reaction

I'm not quite sure what a 'theory' of human agency would look like. Hume himself said we only get to understand our mental powers from repeated experience (Idea 2220). How do we learn about the essence of our own will?

Related Idea

Idea 2220 Only experience teaches us about our wills [Hume]