Topics in Philosophy of Action & Decision making

Course goals

The intended purpose of this Topics Seminar is for the participating student 
(1) to gain a thorough understanding of the philosophical topic addressed in the course;
(2) to become able to place the issues discussed in wider philosophical contexts, and
(3) to develop independent judgment concerning the questions addressed.     
 

Content

This “Topics Seminar” explores in depth issues and texts in the philosophy of action, addressing questions about agency, mental causation, free will, responsibility and practical reasoning. The specific topic will be different each time, so as to tailor it to current research developments in the field.

The specific topic for 2026-2027 will be announced at a later stage.

In 2022-2023 the topic was Intention.
The notion of intention is of central importance for almost all philosophical debates about action. Action is often even defined as the kind of behaviour that is guided by intention. In this course we analyzed the most influential contemporary accounts of intention (those of Anscombe, Davidson and Bratman), and discussed questions such as: How do we form intentions? How do intentions cause our actions? Do intentions always move us to action, or can they also be 'inert'? Does it make sense to say that intentions exist in the mind, or even in the brain? What role do intentions play in ascribing responsibility?


This course is for students in the RMA Philosophy programme; students from other M.A. programmes (such as History & Philosophy of Science, Artificial Intelligence or Applied Ethics), should check with the programmcoordinator  (n.miltenburg@uu.nl) before enrolling, to ensure that they have the requisite philosophical background.
The entrance requirements for Exchange Students will be checked by International Office and the Programme coordinator. Therefore, you do not have to contact the Programme coordinator yourself.
 

Additional information

Please note: the time slot shown here is not yet final and may still be modified until the 3rd Wednesday in September.

As of August, please check Blackboard regularly for more information concerning your course(s).

Counts towards the fulfillment of the “Topics Seminar” requirement for RMA Philosophy students.