Reason, Agency, and the Malaise of Mental Health

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Authors

Cousins, Alexander

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thesis

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eng

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Epistemology , Psychiatry , Agency , Jonathan Dancy , Hanna Pickard , Mental Health , Depression , John McDowell , David Bakhurst , Reason , Psychology

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Mental health conditions create incredibly complex experiences in the world. Some medical professionals argue that mental health conditions are purely physical phenomena – simply a deficiency of brain chemicals. Some philosophers construe reason (and therefore the limits of philosophy) too narrowly to say anything interesting about mental health conditions. I aim to develop a complex account of rational agency that explains how we navigate the world in general, and mental health conditions in particular. I then develop examples to show how this account of agency can help explain what it is like to live with a mental health condition. My account aspires to shed light on the nature of agency and provide some much-needed theoretical backing for psychological methods of treating mental health conditions.

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Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 United States
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ProQuest PhD and Master's Theses International Dissemination Agreement
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Copying and Preserving Your Thesis
This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner.

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