Introduction

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also ...

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challenge

Discover why people act,
individually and jointly.

As you remember, this course is based on a simple challenge.

challenge

Discover why people act,
individually and jointly.

two basic questions about action ...

Will show you this in pictures and in words.

pictrues first

What distinguishes your actions
from things that merely happen to you?

Important because we need to say what we are studying (not just movement—lots of things move)

What is the relation between an instrumental action and the outcome (or outcomes) to which it is directed?

Two fundamental questions about action

Question 1

What is the relation between an instrumental action and an outcome to which it is directed?

Question 2

What distinguishes your actions from things that merely happen to you?

How do the philosophical theories relate to psychological discoveries about why people act?

discovery: there are habitual and goal-directed processes

Lecture 01: There are theoretically coherent models

Lecture 02: ... but does either actually explain any actions?

But I need to start by fixing some terminology between us.

Lecture 02