Elena Garadja
University of Pittsburgh
I provide a sketch for a theory of action as control. My aim is to give an account of the genus of action, which is maximally inclusive and explains what different types of action have in common and what sets them apart. Most theories that define the genus of action take conscious actions as paradigmatic and thus fail to explain non-accidentally unconscious actions (e.g. teleologically paradoxical actions, aesthetic actions, certain types of omission etc.). I signpost the latter as canny actions.
I propose the following two characterizations of control: 1) “Control is a physically constituted practical argument with modal qualities.” Explicitly emphasizing the modal aspect sets my account apart from popular theories of action, such as D.Davidson’s or GEM Anscombe’s. Avoiding an exclusively counterfactual analysis, sets my account apart from popular accounts of control, such as Fischer and Ravizza’s. 2) “Control requires the possibility of second-order control.” In other words, in order for there to be control, there must be the possibility of increasing control through learning. This way of characterizing control brings into focus relevant counterfactuals in a way that sets my account apart from e.g. H.Frankfurt’s “guidance control” and Fischer and Ravizza’s “regulative control”. There are two sorts of relevant counterfactuals to consider. Type I: If conditions were different, would the agent still be able to perform the same sort of action? These counterfactuals express the robustness of control. Type II: If the agent were prompted to improve their control, would they be able to do so? These counterfactuals express the availability of second-order control.
This account accommodates non-accidentally unconscious actions as part of the broader genus while explaining what sets them apart: the kinds of prompts that would increase an agent’s control over a conscious action are distinct from the kinds of prompts that would increase control over a canny action.
Chair: Leon Isenmann
Time: September 7th, 11:20-11:50
Location: HS E.002
SOPhiA 2026 