From Intention to Situation

This thread follows the argument that action creates a meaningful situation by projecting ends into a resistant world.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

The World as Given

The World as Given Existing Conditions An act begins among things that are already there. Their existence is not produced by the intention that will use them. Need for Meaning The conditions become causes, obstacles, or instruments only when a project interprets them in relation to an end.

The End Projects a Lack

The End Projects a Lack Absent State An end presents a possible condition that does not yet exist. The given is judged from the standpoint of what could be changed. Action's Structure The intention is a movement beyond being toward non-being, where an absent result gives conduct its direction.

The Situation Takes Shape

The Situation Takes Shape Unified Field Place, body, past, surroundings, and other people become an organized situation through the end the person chooses. Reciprocal Meaning The end illuminates the given, while the given supplies the concrete terms through which the end can be pursued.

Adversity and Aid

Adversity and Aid Relational Coefficient The same object can help or obstruct according to a project's direction. Adversity is a real resistance disclosed in a freely organized world. No Determinism The object does not dictate the end; the end makes the object's resistance intelligible as relevant.

Responsibility for the World

Responsibility for the World Meaning-Making The for-itself does not create the world's matter, but it causes the world to appear as a world of tasks and relations. Ethical Weight This role makes the agent responsible for the meanings through which the situation is lived and acted upon.

Part Four, Chapter One, Section I

Part Four, Chapter One, Section I, discussion of desideratum

Part Four, Chapter One, Section II

Part Four, Chapter One, Section II, discussion of the environment

Part Four, Chapter One, conclusion