BHA: RE: draft

["Marshall Feldman" <marsh@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

How much of this debate over absence is really just a debate over
terminology. In Louis' example below, can't we just say that case two
involves reduced uncertainty (or more certainty)? Intentions really didn't
change. What changed was the person's understanding of conditions that would
allow them to realize their intentions. So they adopt a different strategy.

I don't think you HAVE to refer to absences to describe this situation
adequately. Some absences (uncertainty) are the opposite of others
(certainty), BUT the reverse is true too. Do we even need to speak of
absences?

> People form intentions that they would not form were certain
> information
> available.  This lets us argue that absence of information is
> an essential
> component in the formation of intentions.  Consider two
> cases, case 1 and
> case 2, in which a person x is presented with two situations
> respectively,
> the only difference being that x has some information in case
> 2 that he does
> not have in case 1.  In case 1 he decides on the basis of
> what he knows to
> walk through a certain door, behind which, unbeknownst to
> him, is a tiger.
> In case 2, he has the same information as in case 1, but in
> addition he is
> told by a reliable source that there is a tiger behind that door; as a
> result of this extra information he decides not to walk
> through the door but
> to do something else instead.



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