Agency is a rich idea, touching upon our capacity to act, make choices, and influence the world around us. Think of it as the degree to which a subject can determine the course of their own actions. It's a concept often discussed in philosophy and sociology, but as we'll see, it also shows up in other contexts, even when considering things like corporations or artificial intelligence. At its core, agency is about the ability to act. When we talk about human agency, we're often discussing our capacity to make decisions and initiate actions that aren't simply predetermined. The feeling of having agency is closely linked to our sense of causation, the belief that we are capable of affecting things, that our thoughts can have real effects. This feeling of our own causal power is enough, at an experiential level, to generate a sense of agency. Various factors shape and can limit the degree of agency someone has. For instance, levels of wealth clearly impact a person's agency. As Karl Marx put it, people make history, but they do so not in conditions of their own choosing. This highlights that while we act, our actions are constrained by the environment and historical context we find ourselves in. Pierre Bourdieu's concepts of habitus (learned ways of doing things) and fields (socially formed environments) illustrate this interdependence; our actions are shaped by these factors, and while he rejects the idea that we have complete freedom, he also rejects the idea that social structure completely determines our actions. Foucault, particularly in his earlier work, is presented as having a view where individuals are produced by power/knowledge relations, making it difficult to conceive how social actors could engage in alternative actions or resistance. However, later Foucault, and critiques like those by Anthony Giddens and Michel de Certeau, suggest that human beings have an intrinsic capacity to reflexively monitor their actions. Certeau, for example, sees greater scope for agency and resistance compared to Foucault's view. The inability to achieve self-actualization can be seen as a consequence of externally applied power, a form of ideological power. Even in apparently non-regulated spaces of everyday life, power operates through governmentality, focusing on the production, control, and regulation of bodies and persons. The concept of agency is also tied to actorship and intentionality. Actorship, in the sense Peter French uses it for corporations, involves intentionality, the ability to make rational decisions, and the ability to change behaviors in response to external events. For a human like Jack Donaghy, these include having plans, making rational business decisions, and altering behavior (like getting rid of cookie jars) in pursuit of a goal. For corporations, actorship means having a kind of will, the capacity to act on their own without any single person being essential to the decision. This suggests that agency, and the capacity to act, can be attributed to entities beyond individual human beings. Actor-Network Theory, for example, incorporates non-human and other-than-human agency. In the context of AI, an agent's goal might be to maximize rewards, requiring a form of self-restraint (like a discount rate) to balance immediate versus long-term gains, and planning ahead by imagining solutions to problems using internal models. Even complex processes involving hybrid coalitions of neural, bodily, and environmental factors, like those in "extended cognition," might lead to responsibility for actions belonging to wider entities than just individuals. Philosophically, agency connects deeply with discussions of freedom and responsibility. For Sartre, the existence of an act implies its autonomy; if actions were simply determined by a prior state, they would cease to be acts and become mere movements. This perspective suggests that human reality, as action, means that the determination to act is itself action. Sartre also links agency to responsibility, arguing that the "for-itself" (human consciousness) apprehends itself in anguish as compelled to decide the meaning of being, and that freedom is revealed in this responsibility that extends to its very abandonment. This anguish is seen not as preventing action, but as a condition of action itself, presupposing a plurality of possibilities from which one must choose, thereby giving value to the chosen path. Immanuel Kant's philosophy emphasizes freedom as crucial for moral responsibility and rational agency. He sees human agents as freely assenting to the rules that govern them and regards the freedom to act on one rule as preserving the freedom to act on all. For Kant, rational agency involves pursuing self-framed ends and having control over inclinations, deciding which ones to act upon. Acting based on rational principles, rather than mere inclination, is central to Kantian freedom and autonomy. Obviating the possibility of consent from others means an act cannot be justified and is morally impermissible. In the context of social and political thought, the debate between structure and agency is prominent. A structuralist view might see human beings as malleable, shaped and socialized by the structures they are born into, while an agency-oriented perspective implies agents have some a priori intentionality. Each view has problems; structuralism struggles to account for change, while the agency view can lead to metaphysical questions about the origin of intentionality or difficulty explaining power differentials. Some views propose that the agents operating in specific sites of power relations are not simply subjected to a force because power relations don't function as a unified force or essence. Instead, power relations can be viewed as relations of advantage or disadvantage in terms of achieving objectives within specific operational policies. The agents involved, whether persons, groups, or institutions, are seen as products of the site where these relations occur. Agency is not about having omnipotent power to bend the world to one's will. It involves the capacity to freely take responsibility for our existence, exercising "response ability" in essential decisions. This means having some choice about who we "be" in life and what parts of ourselves we identify with and act from, often involving renegotiating our relationship with ingrained personality traits. True agency is not blind acceptance or rejection of authority, but the self-bestowal of the right to evaluate things freely and choose based on authentic gut feelings, independent of the world's expectations or external authority. This idea of finding one's capacity to question inherited roles and narratives and to scheme with others to create a different world resonates with the concept of viral justice. It suggests that agency begins wherever you are. Hannah Arendt views action as grounded in "natality," the capacity to begin something new, acting in concert with others in public spaces to reveal who we are. Power, in this view, is what makes acting in concert possible and is an attribute of the group, not just an individual. Even the manner in which events are described or represented within a social context can determine them as particular kinds of events, suggesting that political actors can contest accepted descriptions and that language itself can be a way of acting in or on the world, helping to actualize events in the social field. Event attributions don't just report pre-existing events; they contribute to bringing them about in a social context. Further ideas to explore based on the sources might include the distinction between an agent's "actor perspective" (thinking from inside their agency, feeling personally and emotionally connected to situations) and an "observer perspective" (thinking about others' actions from the outside). The role of intention and reasons for acting is also a key aspect of agency, influencing the meaning and permissibility of actions. Different types of collective agency, such as "plural agents" like states or families that are subjects of joint action and communal will, could also be explored. The idea of overcoming subjection to external power through the "care of the self" is another avenue related to asserting agency. Finally, the very question of what constitutes the "raw materials" of persons or agents within systems of power relations and how these are reproduced or transformed offers complex avenues for further thought. **1. What is Agency? A Core Definition** At its most basic, **agency refers to the capacity of individuals to act independently and make their own free choices.** It’s about having the power to influence one's life and environment, rather than simply being a passive recipient of external forces. It implies intentionality – that actions are driven by desires, beliefs, and goals. Think of it this way: if you choose to study for an exam instead of going out with friends, that’s agency in action. You're exercising your ability to make a decision based on your own reasoning. **2. Historical Development & Key Thinkers** The concept of agency hasn't always been understood as we do today. Here's a brief overview: * **Ancient Philosophy:** While not explicitly using the term "agency," thinkers like Aristotle explored concepts related to free will and moral responsibility, which are foundational to understanding agency. Aristotle’s notion of *eudaimonia* (flourishing) relies on individuals actively shaping their lives through virtuous action. * **The Enlightenment & Liberalism:** The rise of liberal political thought in the 17th and 18th centuries strongly emphasized individual autonomy and rights. Thinkers like John Locke championed the idea that individuals possess natural rights, including the right to self-determination – a key component of agency. This period solidified the notion of the individual as an active participant in society, not just a subject of rulers. * **19th Century & Determinism:** The 19th century saw challenges to this view with the rise of scientific determinism (e.g., from thinkers influenced by Newtonian physics). Determinism suggests that all events are causally determined by prior events, seemingly leaving little room for free will and agency. * **20th & 21st Century – Reclaiming Agency:** The 20th century witnessed a resurgence of interest in agency, often reacting against deterministic views. Key figures include: * **Maurice Merleau-Ponty (Phenomenology):** Emphasized the embodied nature of experience and how our bodies are active agents in perceiving and interacting with the world. * **Hannah Arendt (Political Philosophy):** Focused on *vita activa* – the active life of human beings, emphasizing action, speech, and participation in public life as essential for freedom and agency. She distinguished between labor (necessary survival), work (creating a durable world), and action (political engagement). * **Pierre Bourdieu (Sociology):** Introduced the concept of *habitus*, which describes ingrained habits, skills, and dispositions that shape our actions. While habitus can influence choices, Bourdieu argued it doesn't entirely negate agency; we can still reflect on and potentially modify our habits. **3. Different Perspectives & Nuances** It’s crucial to understand that "agency" isn't a monolithic concept. Different disciplines approach it with varying perspectives: * **Philosophical Agency:** Often grapples with the question of free will versus determinism. Does genuine agency require absolute freedom from causal influence? * **Sociological Agency:** Examines how social structures (e.g., class, race, gender) *constrain* and enable agency. While individuals have choices, those choices are always made within a specific social context. The concept of **structural agency** attempts to reconcile individual action with broader societal forces. * **Psychological Agency:** Focuses on the cognitive and emotional processes involved in making decisions and taking action. Self-efficacy (Bandura) is a related concept – the belief in one's ability to succeed in specific situations, which strongly influences agency. * **Literary/Cultural Agency:** Explores how characters in literature or individuals within cultural contexts exert agency, often challenging dominant narratives or power structures. **4. Limitations and Debates Around Agency** The concept of agency isn’t without its complexities and criticisms: * **The Problem of Responsibility:** If we have agency, are we fully responsible for our actions? This raises ethical and legal questions. * **Agency & Power Imbalances:** Recognizing that social structures influence agency highlights the fact that some individuals or groups have *more* agency than others due to their position in society. This can lead to discussions about power, privilege, and oppression. * **The Illusion of Agency?** Some argue that our sense of agency is an illusion – that our brains make decisions before we are consciously aware of them. Neuroscience research has contributed to this debate. **5. Related Concepts to Explore Further:** * **Free Will:** The philosophical concept underlying the ability to choose freely. * **Determinism:** The belief that all events are causally determined. * **Structuralism & Post-structuralism:** These theoretical frameworks examine how social structures shape individual behavior and challenge notions of autonomous agency. * **Habitus (Bourdieu):** The ingrained habits, skills, and dispositions that influence our actions. * **Self-Efficacy (Bandura):** Belief in one's ability to succeed in specific situations. * **Intersectionality:** How various social categories (race, class, gender, etc.) intersect to shape individual experiences and opportunities for agency.