The Concept of Action

When People Do Things With Words How Do We Know What They Are Doing? Many Scholars Have Assumed A Category Of Things Called Actions: ''Requests'' ''Proposals'' ''Complaints'' ''Excuses''. The Idea Is Both Convenient And Intuitive But As This Book Argues It Is A Spurious Concept Of Action. In Interaction A Person''S Primary Task Is To Decide How To Respond Not To Label What Someone Just Did. The Labeling Of Actions Is A Meta-Level Process Appropriate Only When We Wish To Draw Attention To Others'' Behaviors In Order To Quiz Sanction Praise Blame Or Otherwise Hold Them To Account. This Book Develops A New Account Of Action Grounded In Certain Fundamental Ideas About The Nature Of Human Sociality: That Social Conduct Is Naturally Interpreted As Purposeful; That Human Behavior Is Shaped Under A Tyranny Of Social Accountability; And That Language Is Our Central Resource For Social Action And Reaction.