All Things Act
Seiten
2025
Oxford University Press Inc (Verlag)
978-0-19-781218-1 (ISBN)
Oxford University Press Inc (Verlag)
978-0-19-781218-1 (ISBN)
In All Things Act, Mercedes Valmisa argues that there is no such thing as an individual action and that all actions are constituted and performed by a diverse array of entities. Examining the collective character of action, this book rejects the view of agency as a capacity--especially one limited to humans--and redefines agency as an umbrella term for the concrete sociomaterial processes that emerge from the collaborative efforts of multiple entities acting together. Agency is not the faculty of an individual entity or self; it is always the function of a network or assembly of actors. The book also considers the significant role of nonhuman actors in these processes--things without intentions, will, or even awareness. This relational and collective approach shifts the focus away from mental states, emphasizing instead how humans and nonhumans alike participate in, contribute to, and shape the unfolding of events.
This expanded conception of agency draws on Classical Chinese philosophy, analytic metaphysics on powers and emergence, scientific literature on self-organization, and insights from sociology, anthropology, and art to co-create a groundbreaking framework for understanding agency, with profound sociopolitical implications for contemporary life.
If our actions are not simply the product of individual intentional selves but are instead constituted through dynamic interactions with a vibrant array of nonhuman actors, we are invited--and compelled--to rethink our identities, intentions, powers, emotions, responsibilities, institutions, policies, and values in ways that are less individualistic and more relational and interdependent.
This expanded conception of agency draws on Classical Chinese philosophy, analytic metaphysics on powers and emergence, scientific literature on self-organization, and insights from sociology, anthropology, and art to co-create a groundbreaking framework for understanding agency, with profound sociopolitical implications for contemporary life.
If our actions are not simply the product of individual intentional selves but are instead constituted through dynamic interactions with a vibrant array of nonhuman actors, we are invited--and compelled--to rethink our identities, intentions, powers, emotions, responsibilities, institutions, policies, and values in ways that are less individualistic and more relational and interdependent.
Mercedes Valmisa is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Gettysburg College. Her work focuses on philosophy of action and social philosophy. In her writing, she is interested in expanding the ways we think about agency through multicultural and interdisciplinary lenses. She is the author of Adapting: A Chinese Philosophy of Action (OUP, 2021).
Introduction: A Preliminary Approach to the Collective Character of All Actions
Chapter 1: Philosophy of Action and Agency: A Shift in Perspective
Chapter 2: Things
Chapter 3: Powers
Chapter 4: Swarm Agency
Chapter 5: The Power of the Assembly: A New Interpretation of Wuwei
Epilogue: Non-Cruel Optimism
Appendix 1: The Making of a Chinese Bronze Vessel
Appendix 2: Music and the Power of Reorganization
| Erscheinungsdatum | 21.09.2025 |
|---|---|
| Verlagsort | New York |
| Sprache | englisch |
| Maße | 155 x 224 mm |
| Gewicht | 567 g |
| Themenwelt | Geisteswissenschaften ► Philosophie ► Metaphysik / Ontologie |
| Geisteswissenschaften ► Philosophie ► Östliche Philosophie | |
| Geisteswissenschaften ► Philosophie ► Philosophie der Neuzeit | |
| ISBN-10 | 0-19-781218-X / 019781218X |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0-19-781218-1 / 9780197812181 |
| Zustand | Neuware |
| Informationen gemäß Produktsicherheitsverordnung (GPSR) | |
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Buch | Softcover (2024)
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