Elizabeth Anscombe's Intention is widely recognised as a classic in the analytic tradition of the philosophy of action, and has even been called "the most important treatment of action since Aristotle" (Donald Davidson). The book aims to elucidate the questions what it is to act intentionally, i.e., to act for a reason. In this course, we will read Anscombe's text in detail, as well as studying recent work inspired by her. In doing so, we will contrast Anscombe's theory with other leading theories in the philosophy of action, in order to understand the unique place that her philosophy occupies. Central to Anscombe's account is the concept of practical knowledge: according to Anscombe, we can know what we are doing "without observation". An important question that will occupy us during this course is therefore: how is such practical knowledge possible, and how does it relate to practical reasoning?


Semester: WiSe 2022/23