Abstract

This chapter develops an account of the special content of we-intentions. It argues that it can be explained reductively in the sense that all the concepts needed are already in play in our understanding of individual intention and action. The account is developed in two stages. It takes up first a natural proposal, which is shown to be subject to counterexamples. This then necessitates a review of how to project from the case of singular intentions to shared intentions that reveals that an additional step is required, which invokes first the infinitival pattern, and then the sentential pattern, applied to the result as instantiated to group members. This yield an analysis on which to we-intend to do something with a group is to intend to bring it about that the group does something in accordance with a shared plan. This refined analysis rules out the counterexamples to the first proposal.