On Discussing What We Should Do

Jane Heal (Cambridge) continues our 2022-3 London lecture series Words and Worlds: New Directions in the Philosophy of Language.

There are valuable things which are essentially social, for example our singing together in our choir. Such goods are central to our lives going well. So when our choir faces a difficult choice, we will need to discuss what we should do, what would make things go well for us. This all seems obvious and commonsensical. But philosophical worries may creep in. Is there such a thing as things going well for us which is not just their going well for me and their going well for you? Can we make sense of other people being co-agents and co-subjects with us? And if we can, what does that show about what is going on when we discuss what we should do?