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Chapter 4 - Intentional Action

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2026

Markos Valaris
Affiliation:
University of New South Wales, Sydney
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Summary

This chapter develops an account of intentional action centred on the notion of agential control. The core thesis, Intentionality as Control, proposes that acting intentionally simply is acting with control. Drawing on the account of control defended in the previous chapter, it argues that intentional action requires practical knowledge of what one is doing. The chapter addresses several complications, including the distinction between progressive and perfective aspects of action (what one is doing versus what one has done), with particular attention to ballistic actions where control is temporally limited. One consequence of this account is a version of the controversial thesis that acting intentionally requires knowing what you are doing. This requirement is defended against objections. Finally, the chapter concludes by showing how this control-centric approach can accommodate the insights of more traditional accounts that focus on reasons explanation as the key to the nature of intentional action.

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  • Intentional Action
  • Markos Valaris, University of New South Wales, Sydney
  • Book: Knowledge in Action
  • Online publication: 18 July 2026
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009745727.004
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  • Intentional Action
  • Markos Valaris, University of New South Wales, Sydney
  • Book: Knowledge in Action
  • Online publication: 18 July 2026
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009745727.004
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Intentional Action
  • Markos Valaris, University of New South Wales, Sydney
  • Book: Knowledge in Action
  • Online publication: 18 July 2026
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009745727.004
Available formats
×