Structures of Agency - Essays

Aug 2, 2026

Structures of Agency by Michael E. Bratman develops a philosophical account of human agency through sustained analysis of intentionality, autonomy, and personhood. The work addresses planning and temporally extended agency, the relationship between valuing and the will, and how hierarchy and circularity affect self-governance. It also examines major debates about free will and related views, including discussions of Nozick, as well as commitments and practical reasoning frameworks.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages330

Reading Time8 h 28 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Part I Planning, Temporally Extended Agency, and Self-Governance

2. Reﬂection, Planning, and Temporally Extended Agency

3. Valuing and the Will

4. Hierarchy, Circularity, and Double Reduction

5. Two Problems about Human Agency

6. Nozick on Free Will

Appendix: Nozick, Free Will, and the Problem of Agential Authority

7. A Desire of One’s Own

8. Autonomy and Hierarchy

9. Three Forms of Agential Commitment: Reply to Cullity and Gerrans

10. Planning Agency, Autonomous Agency

11. Three Theories of Self-Governance

Part II Extending the Theory

12. Temptation Revisited

13. Shared Valuing and Frameworks for Practical Reasoning

STRUCTURES OF AGENCY This page intentionally left blank STRUCTURES OF AGENCY Essays Michael E. Bratman 1 1 Oxford University Press, Inc., publishes works that further Oxford University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education. Oxford New York Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With ofﬁces in Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam Copyright \# 2007 by Oxford University Press, Inc. Published by Oxford University Press, Inc. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016 [www.oup.com](www.oup.com) Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Bratman, Michael. Structures of agency : essays / Michael E. Bratman. [p. cm](p. cm). Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13 978-0-19-518770-0; 978-0-19-518771-7 (pbk.) ISBN 0-19-518770-9; 0-19-518771-7 (pbk.) 1. Intentionality (Philosophy) 2. Autonomy (Philosophy) 3. Agent (Philosophy) I. Title. B105 .I56B74 2006 128'.4—dc22 2006043776 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper For Susan, Gregory, and Scott This page intentionally left blank Contents 1. Introduction 3 Part I Planning, Temporally Extended Agency, and Self-Governance 2. Reﬂection, Planning, and Temporally Extended Agency 21 3. Valuing and the Will 47 4. Hierarchy, Circularity, and Double Reduction 68 5. Two Problems about Human Agency 89 6. Nozick on Free Will 106 Appendix: Nozick, Free Will, and the Problem of Agential Authority 127 7. A Desire of One’s Own 137 8. Autonomy and Hierarchy 162 9. Three Forms of Agential Commitment: Reply to Cullity and Gerrans 187 10. Planning Agency, Autonomous Agency 195 11. Three Theories of Self-Governance 222 Part II Extending the Theory 12. Temptation Revisited 257 13. Shared Valuing and Frameworks for Practical Reasoning 283 This page intentionally left blank STRUCTURES OF AGENCY

FAQs

What central themes does the book develop about agency?

It focuses on intentionality, autonomy, and the structure of agency, especially planning and self-governance across time.

How does the book connect valuing to the will?

It includes a dedicated discussion titled “Valuing and the Will,” examining how valuing relates to willing and agency.

Does the book address debates about free will?

Yes. It contains chapters on “Nozick on Free Will” and an appendix on “Nozick, Free Will, and the Problem of Agential Authority.”

Aug 2, 2026

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