Università Roma Tre

The course aims to provide conceptual and historical tools around the philosophy of action, privileging the analysis of the relationship between free will, determinism, intentionality, daily life and habits of action. The first module is aimed at providing both a synthetic framework of theories on free will in correlation with contemporary debate. The second module will focus on the specificity of the habitual actions, on which only recently philosophy, also of analytical area, has resumed to deal, in a close dialogue with psychology, sociology and neuroscience. For this purpose, some doctrines will be examined that provide key elements for reflection on the relationship between action, freedom and habits, including Aristotelian and Pragmatist. With respect to the latter, space will be given to the treatment made by William James on the relationship between habits and conduct of action, linking it with the current developments in the philosophy of action.

Unit 1:
M. De Caro, “Azione e libero arbitrio”, in Id., Azione, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2008, pp. 37-67.
2. M. De Caro, “Azione e intenzionalità”, in Id., Azione, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2008, pp. 111-134.
3. D.M. Wegner, “L’illusione della volontà cosciente”, in M. De Caro, A. Lavazza, G. Sartori (eds.), Siamo davvero liberi? Le neuroscienze e il mistero del libero arbitrio, Turin, Codice, 2010, pp. 21-49 (essay included in the next updated and integrated edition of 2019).

Unit 2:
4. M. Piazza, “Credenze, disposizioni, effetti e regimi”, in Id., Creature dell’abitudine. Abito, costume, seconda natura da Aristotele alle scienze cognitive, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2018, pp. 131-165 (§§ 1-5).
5. W. James, Le leggi dell’abitudine, ed. D. Vincenti, Milan, Mimesis, 2019 (67 pp.).
6. B. Pollard, “Habitual Actions”, in T. O’Connor, C. Sandis (ed. by), A Companion to the Philosophy of Action, Oxford, Wiley-Blackwell, 2010, pp. 74-81 (an Italian translation will be provided by the teacher for educational purposes).