Introduction by the Editors

Abstract

Gilbert Ryle, in his Concept of Mind (1949), attacked volitional theories of human actions; J. L. Austin, in his “If and Cans” (1956), emphasized the complexity and difficulty of analyzing the nature of human ability and opportunity. About the same time, Wittgenstein in the Investigations posed the question, without answering it, “What is left over when we subtract the arm rising from the raising of it?” These philosophers, among others, were pointing to the paucity of philosophically adequate knowledge and theoretical clarity concerning human action and related notions. They recognized, however, that clarity in such matters is essential if work on the freedom-determinism issue, moral responsibility, the social sciences and jurisprudence or any area where human action is a central concept, is to go forward.