Understanding Agency

Understanding Agency

Author: Barry Barnes

Publisher: SAGE

Published: 2000

Total Pages: 182

ISBN-13: 9780761963684

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In this penetrating and assured book, one of the leading commentators in the field argues that social theory is moving in the wrong direction in its reflections on human freedom and autonomy. It has borrowed notions of 'agency' and 'choice' from everyday discourse, but increasingly it puts a misconceived individualistic gloss upon them. Against this, Barnes unequivocally identifies human beings as social agents in a profound sense, and emphasises the vital importance of their sociability. Notions of 'agency', 'freedom' and 'choice' have to be understood by reference to their role in communicative interaction; they are key components of the discourse through which human beings identify each other, and have effects upon each other, as soci


Book Synopsis Understanding Agency by : Barry Barnes

Download or read book Understanding Agency written by Barry Barnes and published by SAGE. This book was released on 2000 with total page 182 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this penetrating and assured book, one of the leading commentators in the field argues that social theory is moving in the wrong direction in its reflections on human freedom and autonomy. It has borrowed notions of 'agency' and 'choice' from everyday discourse, but increasingly it puts a misconceived individualistic gloss upon them. Against this, Barnes unequivocally identifies human beings as social agents in a profound sense, and emphasises the vital importance of their sociability. Notions of 'agency', 'freedom' and 'choice' have to be understood by reference to their role in communicative interaction; they are key components of the discourse through which human beings identify each other, and have effects upon each other, as soci


Understanding Human Agency

Understanding Human Agency

Author: Erasmus Mayr

Publisher: OUP Oxford

Published: 2011-09-15

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 0191619264

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Our self-understanding as human agents includes a commitment to three crucial claims about human agency: that agents must be active, that actions are part of the natural order of the universe, and that intentional actions can be explained by the agent's reasons for acting. While all of these claims are indispensable elements of our view of ourselves as human agents, they are in continuous conflict and tension with one another, especially once one adopts the currently predominant view of what the natural order must be like. One of the central tasks of philosophy of action consists in showing how, despite appearances, these conflicts can be resolved and our self-understanding as agents be vindicated. The mainstream of contemporary philosophy of action holds that this task can only be fulfilled by an event-causal reductive view of human agency, paradigmatically embodied in the so-called 'standard model' developed by Donald Davidson. Erasmus Mayr, in contrast, develops a new agent-causal solution to these conflicts and shows why this solution is superior both to event-causalist accounts and to Von Wright's intentionalism about agency. He offers a comprehensive theory of substance-causation on the basis of a realist conception of powers, which allows one to see how the widespread rejection of agent-causation rests on an unfounded 'Humean' view of nature and of causal processes. At the same time, Mayr addresses the question of the nature of reasons for acting and complements its substance-causal account of activity with a non-causal account of acting for reasons in terms of following a standard of success.


Book Synopsis Understanding Human Agency by : Erasmus Mayr

Download or read book Understanding Human Agency written by Erasmus Mayr and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2011-09-15 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Our self-understanding as human agents includes a commitment to three crucial claims about human agency: that agents must be active, that actions are part of the natural order of the universe, and that intentional actions can be explained by the agent's reasons for acting. While all of these claims are indispensable elements of our view of ourselves as human agents, they are in continuous conflict and tension with one another, especially once one adopts the currently predominant view of what the natural order must be like. One of the central tasks of philosophy of action consists in showing how, despite appearances, these conflicts can be resolved and our self-understanding as agents be vindicated. The mainstream of contemporary philosophy of action holds that this task can only be fulfilled by an event-causal reductive view of human agency, paradigmatically embodied in the so-called 'standard model' developed by Donald Davidson. Erasmus Mayr, in contrast, develops a new agent-causal solution to these conflicts and shows why this solution is superior both to event-causalist accounts and to Von Wright's intentionalism about agency. He offers a comprehensive theory of substance-causation on the basis of a realist conception of powers, which allows one to see how the widespread rejection of agent-causation rests on an unfounded 'Humean' view of nature and of causal processes. At the same time, Mayr addresses the question of the nature of reasons for acting and complements its substance-causal account of activity with a non-causal account of acting for reasons in terms of following a standard of success.


Understanding Agency

Understanding Agency

Author: Liz Jeffery

Publisher: Policy Press

Published: 2011-02-23

Total Pages: 136

ISBN-13: 1847423302

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Using student-friendly features such as case studies and a glossary, this textbook provides an introduction to the concept of agency and how it can usefully inform social welfare practice. It considers how agency and power inter-relate and how it can inform new ways of thinking about the individual and society. Tracing the origins of agency and exploring the contributions of key thinkers from sociological and social policy perspectives, the book demonstrates a model of achievable change and in doing so represents an optimistic view on social work's potential to contribute to this. It is essential reading for students and professionals training in social welfare, social work and education.


Book Synopsis Understanding Agency by : Liz Jeffery

Download or read book Understanding Agency written by Liz Jeffery and published by Policy Press. This book was released on 2011-02-23 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Using student-friendly features such as case studies and a glossary, this textbook provides an introduction to the concept of agency and how it can usefully inform social welfare practice. It considers how agency and power inter-relate and how it can inform new ways of thinking about the individual and society. Tracing the origins of agency and exploring the contributions of key thinkers from sociological and social policy perspectives, the book demonstrates a model of achievable change and in doing so represents an optimistic view on social work's potential to contribute to this. It is essential reading for students and professionals training in social welfare, social work and education.


Exercising Agency

Exercising Agency

Author: Mark Mullaly

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2016-04-22

Total Pages: 182

ISBN-13: 1317138090

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Exercising Agency is a book about decision making. In particular, it looks in detail at how a very important type of organizational decision gets made: whether or not to initiate a project. Making strategic decisions of this kind can never be a wholly rational and scientific process. And Exercising Agency lifts the lid on many of the important behavioural factors that inform project decisions: power and politics, personality, the ’rules’ of an organization. Mark Mullaly draws on his research to provide practical guidance for decision makers; project shapers, approving executives and those responsible for how initiation decisions are made. By explaining the influence, value and risks associated with the elements that inform the way we make strategic decisions he will help you identify how individuals and organizations can best support the process to ensure project initiation decisions are effective and most closely underpin the priorities of the organization. If you are involved in framing or making decisions about the future of your organization; the projects that you do or don’t decide to initiate, then read this book. It won’t make the decisions any easier but it will help you improve the quality of the decisions you make and over time, the effectiveness of your organizational decision making.


Book Synopsis Exercising Agency by : Mark Mullaly

Download or read book Exercising Agency written by Mark Mullaly and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-04-22 with total page 182 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Exercising Agency is a book about decision making. In particular, it looks in detail at how a very important type of organizational decision gets made: whether or not to initiate a project. Making strategic decisions of this kind can never be a wholly rational and scientific process. And Exercising Agency lifts the lid on many of the important behavioural factors that inform project decisions: power and politics, personality, the ’rules’ of an organization. Mark Mullaly draws on his research to provide practical guidance for decision makers; project shapers, approving executives and those responsible for how initiation decisions are made. By explaining the influence, value and risks associated with the elements that inform the way we make strategic decisions he will help you identify how individuals and organizations can best support the process to ensure project initiation decisions are effective and most closely underpin the priorities of the organization. If you are involved in framing or making decisions about the future of your organization; the projects that you do or don’t decide to initiate, then read this book. It won’t make the decisions any easier but it will help you improve the quality of the decisions you make and over time, the effectiveness of your organizational decision making.


Persons: Understanding Psychological Selfhood and Agency

Persons: Understanding Psychological Selfhood and Agency

Author: Jack Martin

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2009-09-23

Total Pages: 196

ISBN-13: 1441910654

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At its core, psychology is about persons: their thinking, their problems, the improvement of their lives. The understanding of persons is crucial to the discipline. But according to this provocative new book, between current essentialist theories that rely on biological models, and constructionist approaches based on sociocultural experience, the concept of the person has all but vanished from psychology. Persons: Understanding Psychological Selfhood and Agency recasts theories of mind, behavior, and self, synthesizing a range of psychologists and philosophers to restore the centrality of personhood—especially the ability to make choices and decisions—to the discipline. The authors’ unique perspective de-emphasizes method and formula in favor of moral agency and life experience, reveals frequently overlooked contributions of psychology to the study of individuals and groups, and traces traditions of selfhood and personhood theory, including: The pre-psychological history of personhood, a developmental theory of situated, agentive personhood, the political disposition of self as a kind of understanding, Human agency as a condition of personhood, Emergentist theories in psychology, the development of the perspectival self. Persons represents an intriguing new path in the study of the human condition in our globalizing world. Researchers in developmental, social, and clinical psychology as well as social science philosophers will find in these pages profound implications not only for psychology but also for education, politics, and ethics.


Book Synopsis Persons: Understanding Psychological Selfhood and Agency by : Jack Martin

Download or read book Persons: Understanding Psychological Selfhood and Agency written by Jack Martin and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2009-09-23 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At its core, psychology is about persons: their thinking, their problems, the improvement of their lives. The understanding of persons is crucial to the discipline. But according to this provocative new book, between current essentialist theories that rely on biological models, and constructionist approaches based on sociocultural experience, the concept of the person has all but vanished from psychology. Persons: Understanding Psychological Selfhood and Agency recasts theories of mind, behavior, and self, synthesizing a range of psychologists and philosophers to restore the centrality of personhood—especially the ability to make choices and decisions—to the discipline. The authors’ unique perspective de-emphasizes method and formula in favor of moral agency and life experience, reveals frequently overlooked contributions of psychology to the study of individuals and groups, and traces traditions of selfhood and personhood theory, including: The pre-psychological history of personhood, a developmental theory of situated, agentive personhood, the political disposition of self as a kind of understanding, Human agency as a condition of personhood, Emergentist theories in psychology, the development of the perspectival self. Persons represents an intriguing new path in the study of the human condition in our globalizing world. Researchers in developmental, social, and clinical psychology as well as social science philosophers will find in these pages profound implications not only for psychology but also for education, politics, and ethics.


Understanding Your Social Agency

Understanding Your Social Agency

Author: Armand Lauffer

Publisher: SAGE

Published: 2010-11-16

Total Pages: 393

ISBN-13: 1412926521

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Understanding Your Nonprofit Agency, written by internationally renowned scholar Armand Lauffer, will fill the growing need for the distinction between corporate business operations and nonprofit operations. The book will focus on how nonprofit agencies operate and not how they are managed. It has been assumed that both entities function similarly. Currently, this assumption is increasingly seen as groundless: nonprofit and profit-driven organizations have different goals and function differently from each other. This text addresses the current trend to differentiate how nonprofits are disctint.


Book Synopsis Understanding Your Social Agency by : Armand Lauffer

Download or read book Understanding Your Social Agency written by Armand Lauffer and published by SAGE. This book was released on 2010-11-16 with total page 393 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Understanding Your Nonprofit Agency, written by internationally renowned scholar Armand Lauffer, will fill the growing need for the distinction between corporate business operations and nonprofit operations. The book will focus on how nonprofit agencies operate and not how they are managed. It has been assumed that both entities function similarly. Currently, this assumption is increasingly seen as groundless: nonprofit and profit-driven organizations have different goals and function differently from each other. This text addresses the current trend to differentiate how nonprofits are disctint.


Understanding Human Agency

Understanding Human Agency

Author: Erasmus Mayr

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2011-09-15

Total Pages: 325

ISBN-13: 0199606218

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Revised version of the author's thesis (doctoral)--Ludwigs-Maximilians-Universiteat, 2007.


Book Synopsis Understanding Human Agency by : Erasmus Mayr

Download or read book Understanding Human Agency written by Erasmus Mayr and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2011-09-15 with total page 325 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Revised version of the author's thesis (doctoral)--Ludwigs-Maximilians-Universiteat, 2007.


Understanding Your Social Agency

Understanding Your Social Agency

Author: Armand Lauffer

Publisher: SAGE

Published: 2010-11-16

Total Pages: 392

ISBN-13: 1452239460

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Provides readers with an array of lenses for looking at a social agency from the outside in, and from the inside out This highly accessible text takes into account the organizational dynamics that readers are likely to have experienced and provides them with the conceptual tools for reassessing their understanding and considering how to act on their new insights. Renowned scholar Armand Lauffer shows readers how to apply organizational theories to challenges they confront at work, and to uncover other challenges they may not yet be aware of.


Book Synopsis Understanding Your Social Agency by : Armand Lauffer

Download or read book Understanding Your Social Agency written by Armand Lauffer and published by SAGE. This book was released on 2010-11-16 with total page 392 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Provides readers with an array of lenses for looking at a social agency from the outside in, and from the inside out This highly accessible text takes into account the organizational dynamics that readers are likely to have experienced and provides them with the conceptual tools for reassessing their understanding and considering how to act on their new insights. Renowned scholar Armand Lauffer shows readers how to apply organizational theories to challenges they confront at work, and to uncover other challenges they may not yet be aware of.


Understanding the Professional Agency of Female Language Teachers in a Chinese University

Understanding the Professional Agency of Female Language Teachers in a Chinese University

Author: Xiaolei Ruan

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2021-12-30

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 1000523675

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Centering on a qualitative study of three female English teachers in Shanghai, China, the book explores female language teachers' perceived discrepancies and agency exercised in their teaching, research and teacher learning practices. By adopting multiple research methods, such as narrative questionnaire, metaphor, timeline, interview and classroom observation, this study reveals that female language teachers’ agency is a dynamic entity manifested in the ongoing negotiation of agency belief, agency practice, and agency inclination, as well as the interaction of individual and the environment. Though there are certain limitations concerning representativeness and generalizability, the author provides a thick description of how female language teachers in China are exercising agency to fulfill their career development, which offers insightful suggestions to language education in both China and broader areas globally. The book will appeal to researchers studying teacher education and foreign (English) language teaching, university teachers, especially female foreign language teachers, PhD students and graduate students, as well as career women.


Book Synopsis Understanding the Professional Agency of Female Language Teachers in a Chinese University by : Xiaolei Ruan

Download or read book Understanding the Professional Agency of Female Language Teachers in a Chinese University written by Xiaolei Ruan and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2021-12-30 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Centering on a qualitative study of three female English teachers in Shanghai, China, the book explores female language teachers' perceived discrepancies and agency exercised in their teaching, research and teacher learning practices. By adopting multiple research methods, such as narrative questionnaire, metaphor, timeline, interview and classroom observation, this study reveals that female language teachers’ agency is a dynamic entity manifested in the ongoing negotiation of agency belief, agency practice, and agency inclination, as well as the interaction of individual and the environment. Though there are certain limitations concerning representativeness and generalizability, the author provides a thick description of how female language teachers in China are exercising agency to fulfill their career development, which offers insightful suggestions to language education in both China and broader areas globally. The book will appeal to researchers studying teacher education and foreign (English) language teaching, university teachers, especially female foreign language teachers, PhD students and graduate students, as well as career women.


The Role of Agency and Memory in Historical Understanding

The Role of Agency and Memory in Historical Understanding

Author: Gordon P. Andrews

Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing

Published: 2017-05-11

Total Pages: 410

ISBN-13: 1443893889

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This book, the first in a series entitled Historical and Pedagogical Issues: Insights from the Great Lakes History Conference, addresses historical and pedagogical issues. It explores the agency of historical actors tied to larger movements, demonstrating the efficacy and power of individuals to act with historical impact. It also describes the nuanced role of memory, often neglected in larger national or global social movements. This volume explores these powerful themes through a broad range of topics, including the research and pedagogy of revolution, reform, and rebellion as they are applied to race, ethnicity, political movements, labour, reconciliation, memory, and moral responsibility. The book will interest researchers that have an interest in both, or either, history and pedagogy.


Book Synopsis The Role of Agency and Memory in Historical Understanding by : Gordon P. Andrews

Download or read book The Role of Agency and Memory in Historical Understanding written by Gordon P. Andrews and published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. This book was released on 2017-05-11 with total page 410 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book, the first in a series entitled Historical and Pedagogical Issues: Insights from the Great Lakes History Conference, addresses historical and pedagogical issues. It explores the agency of historical actors tied to larger movements, demonstrating the efficacy and power of individuals to act with historical impact. It also describes the nuanced role of memory, often neglected in larger national or global social movements. This volume explores these powerful themes through a broad range of topics, including the research and pedagogy of revolution, reform, and rebellion as they are applied to race, ethnicity, political movements, labour, reconciliation, memory, and moral responsibility. The book will interest researchers that have an interest in both, or either, history and pedagogy.