From: Colin.Wight-AT-aber.ac.uk (Colin Wight) Subject: Re: BHA: Aristotle and all that Date: Fri, 13 Feb 1998 11:56:20 +0000 Hi Howard, Yes, it's funny how many times I must have read RTS and that small bit in brackets slipped past me. But it is wrong of course. How else can society be construed but as, at least, part of the cause of intentional activity. However, by PON, this can't really be thought of as RB's position. Ironic isn't it that in RTS RB mounts an attack on the positivist account of cause only to succumb to its charms here. This is the only reason I can see to deny that society is the cause of activity. Anyway on the PON chapter re agency. I wan't really alluding to the difference between reasons and beliefs, although RB does deal with this in the chapter. My point was the relatively simple one that X may supply me with a reason to do Y, but that X doesn't do Y, I do. However, in order to understand Y one would have to understand the role of X. Our reasons, of course, are always formulated in the context of beliefs, so the two are distinct and I don't think RB elides them. Hence the reason for my taking a drink of water at the moment is my thirst, but this has to be placed in the context of my general belief that water quenches thirst. One moment.....slurp...and so it does. Thanks, ------------------------------------------------------------------ Dr. Colin Wight Department of International Politics University of Wales, Aberystwyth Tel: (01970) 621769 ---------------------------------------------------------------- --- from list bhaskar-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---
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