Other Intentions

"Intentionality - the attribution of inner states - has long been the preserve of philosophical abstraction, psychological theorizing, and religious dictate. Yet intentionality is above all a social and cultural phenomenon. To leave consideration of those inner states at the level of the universal and abstract does injustice to their varied roles in human relationships.". "In Other Intentions, nine scholars from fields as diverse as philosophy, anthropology, medieval literature, and the law examine at the cultural level specific ethnographic, literary, and legal cases in which the question of inner states proves illuminating. The authors argue that while intentionality might at first appear to be a wholly abstract phenomenon, it is, in fact, deeply entwined with the nature and distribution of power, the portrayal of events, the assessment of personhood, and the social assignment of moral and legal responsibility. This volume brings new insight to our understanding of our own and others' intentions."--BOOK JACKET.