Ma`rifat Falsafi

In what follows, the authors address one of the fundamental issues in the philosophy of action, namely, ‘the nature of action.’ The main goal of this article is to explain the difference between two things: action versus events that merely happen to us, and although performed by us, are not recognized as actions. The main question is: what criterion distinguishes action from other behaviors? In response to this question, various criteria have been suggested, but none have been able to comprehensively cover all dimensions of human action. The authors have attempted to provide a precise criterion for distinguishing action from other behaviors using Transcendent Theosophy, they have addressed the strengths and weaknesses of existing viewpoints, too. Given the complexity and diversity of human agency in various acts, the authors believe that: ‘the existence of knowledge involved in the act’ can be introduced as the criterion for distinguishing action from other behaviors.