Intention and Means-End Reasoning

M /r any times one forms an intention to do something and proceeds to reason about how. For example, at 10:00 A.M. on the East Side of Manhattan I form the intention to meet Susan at Times Square at noon. I then engage in means-end reasoning about how to do this, and reach a decision to take the Times Square bus. Though such reasoning may seem straightforward, reflection suggests otherwise. When I form the intention to meet Susan it seems that I come to have a reason for taking the Times Square bus that I did not have before. But this plausible view seems to lead quickly to implausible consequences. To avoid these consequences we need to appreciate the special nature of the reason-giving status of my initial intention.