This book makes an important contribution to current philosophical debate on the nature and origins of agency. It defines action as a uniquely biological process and recasts human intentional action as a specialized case of a broader and more common phenomenon than has been previously assumed. Uniting findings from philosophy, cognitive science, psychology, biology, computer science, complexity theory and ethology, this book will be of interest to students and scholars working in these areas.

Derek M. Jones is Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Director of Cognitive Science at the University of Evansville, USA.

Introduction

1. On the Need for a Theory of Primitive Action

2. Guidance and Deviance

3. Whole-Organism Agency

4. Guideless Guidance

5. From Eddies of Order to Wellsprings of Value

6. From Autopoiesis to Agency

7. Conclusion: Beyond Primitive Agency