 Toward a General Theory of ActionJavier Aranzadi
Chapter Chapter 3 in Human Action, Economics, and Ethics, 2018, pp 9-12 from Springer Abstract: Abstract All social sciences have the person as their object of study. Here we should highlight the pioneering work by a team lead by T. Parsons and E.S. Shills (Towards a general theory of action, Harper & Row, New York, 1962). The main thesis of Toward a General Theory of Action is that humans strive to achieve goals. In seeking goals an actor is oriented towards objects and this orientation is taken to comprise three modes: cognitive, cathectic (desiderative) and evaluative. That is, the theory of action is structured in three parts: desiderative, cognitive and evaluative, representing an order between themselves. These three constituent parts define a system of action. The individual inserted into a society with a culture generates action. Parsons’ theory integrates the three explicative elements in a system. Parsons’ text points to the possible existence of an integrative or systemic moral or ethical system to control the various parts of the structure constituting action. Keywords: Social sciences; Theory of action; Personality; Culture; Social system; Ethics; Desiderative element; Cognitive element; Evaluative element (search for similar items in EconPapers) There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it. Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:spbchp:978-3-319-73912-0_3 Ordering information: This item can be ordered from DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-73912-0_3 Access Statistics for this chapter More chapters in SpringerBriefs in Economics from Springer |
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