Table Of ContentHumean Nature
Humean Nature
How Desire Explains Action,
Thought, and Feeling
Neil Sinhababu
1
3
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Contents
Acknowledgments vii
1. TheReturnoftheHumeanTheory 1
1.1 TheHumeanTheoryofMotivation 2
1.2 Smith’sPuzzleandhisTreachery 5
1.3 Anti-HumeanViews 12
1.4 DevelopingaPsychologicalTheory 17
1.5 TheRestofthisBook 19
2. FivePropertiesofDesire 22
2.1 TheMotivationalAspect 23
2.2 TheHedonicAspect 28
2.3 TheAttentionalAspect 33
2.4 AmplificationbyVividness 36
2.5 TheDesire–BeliefTheoryofReasoning 38
3. DesireandPleasure 45
3.1 TheFeelingofObligation 45
3.2 DarwallandDesiresFormedinDeliberation 52
3.3 BromwichandSayingWhatYouBelieve 55
3.4 DöringandActionsExpressingEmotion 57
3.5 TheHedonicCorrelation 60
4. MoralJudgment 63
4.1 TheEmotionalPerceptionModel 63
4.2 TheMetaethicsofEmotionalPerception 66
4.3 TheColorAnalogy 69
4.4 ExperimentalEvidence:Smells,Dumbfounding,andPsychopathy 74
4.5 Experientialism,NotInternalism,aboutMorality 79
5. DesireandAttention 83
5.1 SchuelerandCombiningPremisesinReasoning 83
5.2 SmithandtheExplanationofReasoning 86
5.3 Setiya,PracticalKnowledge,andBeliefaboutDoing 88
5.4 ShahandVellemanonTransparencyinDeliberation 92
5.5 TowardsaTheoryofDaydreams 96
6. Intention 100
6.1 TheDesire–BeliefTheoryofIntention 100
6.2 BratmanonPracticalDeliberationandPlanning 104
6.3 RossandSchroederonCognitiveLimitations 110
6.4 PleasureandIntention 112
6.5 JointIntentions 114
vi CONTENTS
7. DesireandVividness 118
7.1 Procrastination 118
7.2 SearleandAkrasia 120
7.3 Scanlon,Reason-Judgments,andAkrasia 123
7.4 TenenbaumandtheRobustnessofDesire-DrivenMotivation 126
7.5 PredictableIrrationalityandDennett’sNormativism 128
7.6 GendlerandAlief 129
8. Willpower 135
8.1 RedirectingAttentiontoControlVividness 135
8.2 HoltononEffort,Ego-Depletion,andTraining 137
8.3 SripadaandDesireStrengthinWillpower 141
8.4 LevyandKahneman’sDual-ProcessFramework 143
9. Reasons 146
9.1 TheHumeanPsychologyofReasons 146
9.2 VanRoojenandActingonAdviceaboutReasons 150
9.3 Kant’sHouseofLustandPracticalPossibilities 152
9.4 ScanlonandBracketingReasons 154
9.5 SetiyaandReason-Choosing 156
9.6 EnochandDeliberativeIndispensability 160
9.7 MoralityIsn’taboutReasons 163
10. AgencyandtheSelf 167
10.1 HumeanSelf-Constitution 167
10.2 Wallace,Holton,andAgencyinDesire 169
10.3 KorsgaardandUnifiedAgency 172
10.4 Moreau’sParadoxesofCharacter 177
10.5 VellemanandMilleronAlienatedAgency 181
10.6 Frankfurt’sUnwillingAddictandPleasureinGoals 185
10.7 KantandI 187
11. MetaethicsforHumeanBeings 188
11.1 HumanIncapabilismaboutMoralJudgment 188
11.2 CognitivistInternalismFallsintoIncapabilism 191
11.3 Smith’sDisjunctiveInternalism 192
11.4 SophisticatedNoncognitivismFallsintoIncapabilism 194
11.5 ExternalismaboutMoralJudgmentandMotivation 197
11.6 CometoScotlandwithMe 199
Bibliography 201
Index 213
Acknowledgments
I started working on the ideas in this book in a term paper for Melissa Barry’s
metaethics class in 2000, and then in an undergraduate thesis advised by Raphael
Woolf the next year. This book probably wouldn’t exist without Melissa’s encour-
agementtokeeppursuingtheprojectandRaphael’scaringattentiontohisenthusi-
asticyoungstudent.Thanksgofirsttothem.
ThattermpaperbecamemywritingsamplefortheUniversityofTexas,wherethe
idea of using a rich account of desire to address objections to Humean views grew
into a dissertation. My dissertation co-advisors, Brian Leiter and David Sosa, each
helped me considerably and in opposite ways, fitting their opposite approaches to
philosophy.WhenIdidn’thowtoproceedonsomeissue,JoshDeverwouldexplain
difficult things clearly so I could figure out what to do. After he arrived at Texas,
JonathanDancyreadmydissertationandtoldmewhatImostneededtohear:thatit
was done. My other teachers and my fellow students supplied the constant philo-
sophical engagement that has always sharpened my work. So did a welcoming
community of graduate students and faculty at the University of Michigan, where
Ispentawonderfulyearasavisitingstudent.
My NUS colleague and flatmate Ben Blumson organized a reading group on the
bookwherewereadachaptereveryweekortwoforasemester.Thereadinggroup
notonlygavemefeedback,butalsomademewritesothattherewouldbesomething
to read next week. Regular participants in addition to Ben included the meticulous
Weng Hong Tang, the indefatigable Jay Garfield, and ardent foe of fascism Elena
Zillotti. Nina Powell, Stuart Derbyshire, and Ilya Farber helped with psychological
questions.
Chapter8 owes a great deal to the undergraduate thesis research of Yongming
Han,whocametomehavingreadmyworkontheHumeanTheoryandwantingto
help. He found a great deal of empirical work on willpower previously uncited by
philosophers that supported the Humean account I had hoped to build. As I write
this,YongmingisinhisfourthyearofthePhDatBrownUniversity.He’llbesending
out job applications before long, and I strongly recommend him to departments
lookingforatalentedandcreativeyoungphilosopherwhocanadvancetheresearch
ofothersaroundhim.
In 2014–15, the Murphy Institute at Tulane University gave me a one-year
researchfellowshiptoworkonthisbook.Ithankeveryonethereforhelpfulconver-
sationsandexcellentcompanyinNewOrleans.
IhadawonderfultimeworkingwithPeterMomtchiloff.Ithankhimforlettingme
writethisbookandforthemusicofTalulahGosh,MarineResearch,andTufthunter.
Eleanor Collins helped toguideme downthe pathto publication. Copy editor Phil
viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Dinesdidexcellentwork.Additionalcopyediting(supportedbyaNUSbookgrant)
wasdoneataveryefficientpacebyJuliaRamseyandMarySalvaggio.
Thethreerefereesforthisbookallprovidedveryhelpfulreportsthatimprovedit
significantly.One isJosh May, whowentaboveand beyond the call of referee duty
with a thoughtful and detailed fourteen-page report alerting me to a great deal of
philosophicalandpsychologicalresearchthatIneededtoengagewith.Anotherwas
Mark Van Roojen, who both suggested stylistic improvements (thanks to him, this
bookintroducesnoabbreviations)andconvincedmetoincludeadditionalsections
thatInowseeasamongthemostimportantinthebook.Thankstothesuggestionsof
athirdstillanonymousreferee,thisbookisnowmoreresponsivetorecentworkon
reasonsthanithadbeen.
Generous travel support from the National University of Singapore let me travel
the world presenting material that found its way into this book. Places I gave talks
include Australian National University, Boston University, Bowling Green State
University, Brandeis University, Bridgewater State University, Cardiff University,
Charles Sturt University, Claremont College, Dartmouth College, DePauw Univer-
sity,DukeUniversity,FloridaStateUniversity,Franklin&MarshallCollege,George-
town University, Georgia State University, Hong Kong University, Kansas State
University, King’s College London, Louisiana State University, Metropolitan
University of Tokyo, Murdoch University, Northern Illinois University, Portland
StateUniversity,PortlandStateUniversity,PrincetonUniversity,St.John’sUniver-
sity, Stanford University, Swarthmore College, Tufts University, Underwood Inter-
nationalCollegeYonsei,UniversityatBuffalo,UniversityCollegeDublin,University
ofAberdeen,UniversityofAdelaide,UniversityofAntwerp,UniversityofArkansas
atLittleRock,UniversityofAuckland,UniversityofCaliforniaatRiverside,Univer-
sity of California at Santa Cruz, University of Central Arkansas, University of
Chicago, University of Connecticut, University of Delaware, University of Edin-
burgh,UniversityofGlasgow,UniversityofIllinois,UniversityofMacau,University
ofMaryland,UniversityofMissouriatSt.Louis,UniversityofNevadaatLasVegas,
University of New South Wales, University of Nottingham, University of Oregon,
University of Oxford, University of Pennsylvania, University of Queensland,
University of Sheffield, University of Stirling, University of Texas, University of
Utah, University of Vermont, University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, University of
York, Virginia Commonwealth University, Wayne State University, William and
Mary,andYaleUniversity.IalsopresentedatconferencesincludingtheAustralasian
Association of Philosophy, the Global Themes in Ethical Naturalism Conference
at NUS, the Joint Session, the Moral Psychology Research Group at Tulane, the
NaturalismsinEthicsConferenceatAuckland,andtheQueenslandClub.Ihopethe
hundredsofphilosophersattheseplaceswithwhomIhadhelpfulconversationsand
Q&Aexchangeswillforgivemynotthankingthemindividually.
My heads of department, Sor-hoon Tan and now Mike Pelczar, generously
supportedallthistravel.Mike’scommentsonthebookalsoimproveditstylistically
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ix
and philosophically. I deeply appreciate the tireless efforts of Rosna Buang and
Melina Loo Shi Jie, the administrative staff who helped me navigate our travel
bureaucracyanddealtwiththeendlesspaperworkthatmytravelsgenerated.
Ithankmyfamilynotonlyfortheirconstantsupportovertheyears,butforefforts
thatdirectlymade this book better. My fatherAchintyaand mysister Supriya read
thewholethingandmadeavarietyofusefulsuggestions.MybrotherRobintoldme
helpful things about the significance of section 2.5. My mother Pranati provided a
deliciousanddesire-satisfyingexamplethatrecursinthisbook.
