180070 SE Habits (2021S)

Habitual actions have a history of practice and repetition that frees us from attending to what we are doing, from deliberating about what to do, and even from forming an intention before acting. Nevertheless, many habitual actions like getting dressed in the morning, or biking back home from work, are cases of intentional action. What accounts for the intentionality of habitual actions if they can be automatically initiated, performed, and controlled?

In this master seminar we will start with Aristotle’s notion of habits/hexis and a brief overview of the roots of the debate. This will function as the background for our readings on (1) habit in American pragmatism, (2) habit and skill as dispositions and abilities, and (3) a cognitive science perspective on habits and automaticity.

Throughout the seminar, we will practice research skills such as
- formulating research questions,
- writing research paper outlines,
- writing feedback for peers,
- responding to feedback,
- combining different types of research to illuminate philosophical ideas.