Reasons without Rationalism

"Kieran Setiya's bold argument concerning practical reasoning deserves serious attention...What makes Setiya's account distinctive is the way he prosecutes his case while engaging with an impressive range of contemporary views on action and practical reason."--Katerina Deligiorgi, The Philosophers' Magazine "This is an excellent book: original, intricately argued, yet admirably compact. It makes important contributions to both the philosophy of action and ethics."--Matthew Hanser, The Review of Metaphysics "Kieran Setiya's Reasons without Rationalism is a fascinating, closely-argued, and rewarding book. It is clearly, concisely, and attractively written, and it contains a wealth of perceptive and original insights. The overall vision that emerges from its pages is an important alternative to the more familiar pictures of the relevant issues."--Ralph Wedgwood, Mind "The book is very well-written, and is full of provocative arguments... This is a book that will reward reflection by those interested in the topics of ethical theory, virtues, practical reason, and action theory."--Brad Majors, Metapsychology Online Reviews

Kieran Setiya is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of Pittsburgh.

Preface ix Introduction 1 1. "Squeezing the Good into the Right through the Tubes of Imperfection" 7 2. The Relevance of Action Theory 14 PART ONE: Explaining Action 21 1. A Puzzle about Intention 23 2. The Belief-Desire Model 28 3. Acting for Reasons 39 4. Solving the Puzzle 48 5. A Causal Theory of Action? 56 6. Against the Guise of the Good 59 PART TWO: Why Virtue Matters to the Study of Practical Reason 68 1. Character and Practical Thought 70 2. An Argument for the Virtue Theory 79 3. Practical Reason and the Guise of the Good 86 4. Motivation and Desire 99 5. Self-Knowledge as the Aim of Action 107 Conclusion 116 Bibliography 121 Index 129