Mental Overpopulation and Mental Action: Protecting Intentions from Mental Birth Control

Abstract

Many, I suspect most, philosophers of action afford intentions a central role in theorizing about action and its explanation. Furthermore, current orthodoxy in the philosophy of action has it that intentions play a causal role with respect to the etiology and explanation of action. But action theory is not without its heretics. Some philosophers have challenged the orthodox view. In this paper I will examine and critique one such challenge. I will consider David-Hillel Ruben's case against the need for intentions to play a causal role in the etiology and explanation ofmentalactions.ContraRuben, I will defend the orthodox view that intentions play an indispensable causal and explanatory role with respect to mental actions.