The agent concept is a scientific tool

Abstract

Okasha (2018) asks whether living organisms and other biological entities can meaningfully be regarded as agents with goals. To answer this question, he surveys a range of different notions of agency—from goal directedness to behavioural flexibility to adaptedness—and discusses the links between the action of natural selection and rational behaviour. His book is thought-provoking, and it provides an excellent entry point into an interesting multidisciplinary literature. I will certainly make use of it in the future as a reference work.