| My current
work is on a book, tentatively entitled Actions,
Artifacts, and Constitution. The book will explore
three interrelated themes. 1) I offer a theory of
constitution based on the idea of being made out of.
This obviously applies most centrally to artifacts. The
statue, for example, is constituted by the clay because
it is made out of that clay. (A presentation of the
theory and some comparison with the theories of
constitution advocated by Lynne Baker and Kit Fine can
be read
here.) A number of issues concerning artifacts are
discussed in the light of the theory. For example, all
artifacts are made; but are they all made out of
something? I argue that many artifacts, such as
fictional characters and musical works, that might
appear not to be made out of anything, are in fact made
out of things. Others, however, such as universities and
corporations, appear not to be made out of anything. (A
paper applying the theory to musical compositions can be
found here.)
2) I argue that some events, including all
intentional actions, are constituted according to the
theory of constitution I advocate. Actions are made out
of other actions and ultimately out of events that are
not actions.
3) Intentional actions are themselves artifacts. They
are things we make intentionally, out of other actions
and bodily movements, to serve various goals, both
functional and expressive. A number of issues in the
philosophy of action can be illuminatingly dealt with by
seeing actions as artifacts. |
