Donald Davidsons Essay on Actions
Uploaded by bulldawg on Oct 27, 2011
This essay discusses some of the points Davidson makes in his work about the connection between reason and action.
I Introduction
Donald Davidson’s essay about the causes of human actions is very obscure and difficult. He is attempting to find psychological reasons for actions, including physical actions, and in reading his theories I wonder if it is actually necessary (or possible) to provide a justification for every action.
We’ll consider that in the following discussion, in addition to examining other questions, such as whether or not one type of explanation can apply to all actions; and if such an explanation can be found, what its value might be.
II Discussion
The first sentence of David’s essay sets out what he’s trying to do. He asks “What is the relation between a reason and an action where the reason explains the action by giving the agent’s reason for doing what he did?” I’m going to spend some time here, because we have to understand this basic principle. Perhaps putting it in concrete terms will help. Let’s ask, “What is the relation between my wanting to throw a ball and throwing that ball, where wanting to throw the ball explains my action of throwing it, by giving my wanting to throw the ball as the reason for throwing it.” This is still difficult and somewhat circular reasoning, but it reveals that there is some validity to the idea of their being a connection between reason and action.
In order to find the reason for the action, Davidson says it’s not enough to say merely that it appealed to the person who performed it; we must identify what in particular about the action appeal to the agent. I believe that it is in this area that we can begin to make the psychological connection; when we identify what specifically motivates the agent. The reasons for action can be as varied as desires, wantings, urges, promptings, and moral views; they may even include private goals. Because such things as desires and urges are (or can be) unconscious, we can conclude that these may fall into the category of psychological explanations for actions.
Some of the features of the psychological explanation are, as I’ve mentioned, the wantings and urgings that prompt the action. Davidson makes a fascinating observation here, and that is the fact that someone may have a...