Agency as a functional kind

DAVOODY BENI M.

Mind and Language, 2025 (SSCI, Scopus) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Publication Date: 2025
  • Doi Number: 10.1111/mila.12563
  • Journal Name: Mind and Language
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, IBZ Online, International Bibliography of Social Sciences, Periodicals Index Online, Linguistic Bibliography, Linguistics & Language Behavior Abstracts, MLA - Modern Language Association Database, Philosopher's Index, Psycinfo
  • Keywords: agency, counterfactual models, free energy principle, functional kinds, super-explanatory property
  • Middle East Technical University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

This article seeks to define the genuine (functional) kind of agency by identifying its essential property. In the context of this article, the essential property, also termed super-explanatory, is the ability of an agent to make counterfactual models of outcomes of its actions. This article adopts a naturalist approach, informed by advancements in computational neuroscience, to define the functional kind of agency. The offered definition is deliberately flexible and inclusive, encompassing manifestations of agency in both natural and artificial domains.