Aspiration - Agnes Callard

Partial Excerpts (antilibrary)

Copyright Page

2018

(a) How We Got Here

We can all think back to a time when we were substantially different people, value-wise, from the people we are now.

How did that change come about?

we often have occasion to mention the effects on us of forces outside our control, such as a fortuitous coincidence, an influential mentor, an inspiring locale, a tragic loss

Nonetheless, none of these sorts of factors can amount to the whole story. A mentor cannot implant a love of music

We have a hand in answering the question as to what things in the world are important to us, and our answers need not be, and typically are not, arbitrary or random. Agency, as distinct from mere behavior, is marked by practical rationality. Insofar as becoming someone is something someone does, and not merely something that happens to her, she must have access to reasons to become the person she will be.

Giving a philosophical account of how it is possible for value-acquisition to be a form of practically rational agency is the project of this book.