Intentional Action and Side-Effects in Ordinary Language

Description

The paper addresses a controversy in the concept of intentional action: whether side-effects of an action are brought about intentionally. The author hypothesizes that people's intuitions are influenced by their attitude toward the specific side-effect. Through two experiments, the author demonstrates an asymmetry: people are considerably more willing to say a side-effect was brought about intentionally when they regard that side-effect as bad (harmful) than when they regard it as good (helpful). This finding suggests that the assignment of praise and blame is at the root of how people apply the concept of intentionality....