There Are No Abilities to Succeed

IF 1.6 1区哲学 0 PHILOSOPHY

PHILOSOPHY AND PHENOMENOLOGICAL RESEARCH Pub Date : 2026-09-23 DOI:10.1111/phpr.70164

David Heering

引用次数: 0

Abstract

There is an essential connection between the concept of an ability and various forms of practical and cognitive success. In particular, it is in virtue of exercising their abilities that agents’ general practical and cognitive endeavors, their doings and believings, become achievements—intentional actions or instances of knowledge. Abilities enable success. In this paper, I challenge the ubiquitous idea that when agents succeed, they are exercising the ability to succeed , that is, that abilities enable success as abilities to succeed. My argument is that while achievements are highly specific, the content of what an ability is an ability to do (its prejacent) is always general. Hence, the relevant achievements never appear in the prejacents of abilities exercised in achievement; there are no abilities to succeed. I draw out some general lessons for the philosophy of abilities.

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没有成功的能力

在能力的概念和各种形式的实践和认知成功之间存在着本质的联系。特别地，正是由于运用了他们的能力，行动者的一般实践和认知努力，他们的行为和信念，才成为成就——有意的行动或知识的实例。能力使人成功。在本文中，我挑战了普遍存在的观点，即当代理人成功时，他们正在行使成功的能力，也就是说，能力使成功成为成功的能力。我的观点是，虽然成就是高度具体的，但能力的内容（它的表现）总是一般的。因此，相关的成就不会出现在成就中锻炼的能力的呈现中；没有成功的能力。我总结了一些关于能力哲学的一般经验。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

PHILOSOPHY AND PHENOMENOLOGICAL RESEARCH PHILOSOPHY-

CiteScore

3.50

自引率

6.70%

发文量

期刊介绍： Philosophy and Phenomenological Research publishes articles in a wide range of areas including philosophy of mind, epistemology, ethics, metaphysics, and philosophical history of philosophy. No specific methodology or philosophical orientation is required for submissions.