New Book: Valmisa, All Things Act

"In All Things Act, Mercedes Valmisa argues that there is no such thing as an individual action and that all actions are constituted and performed by a diverse array of entities. Examining the collective character of action, this book rejects the view of agency as a capacity-especially one limited to humans-and redefines agency as an umbrella term for the concrete sociomaterial processes that emerge from the collaborative efforts of multiple entities acting together."

"Agency is not the faculty of an individual entity or self; it is always the function of a network or assembly of actors. The book also considers the significant role of nonhuman actors in these processes-things without intentions, will, or even awareness. This relational and collective approach shifts the focus away from mental states, emphasizing instead how humans and nonhumans alike participate in, contribute to, and shape the unfolding of events."

"This expanded conception of agency draws on Classical Chinese philosophy, analytic metaphysics on powers and emergence, scientific literature on self-organization, and insights from sociology, anthropology, and art to co-create a groundbreaking framework for understanding agency, with profound sociopolitical implications for contemporary life. If our actions are not simply the product of individual intentional selves but are instead constituted through dynamic interactions with a vibrant array of nonhuman actors, we are invited-and compelled-to rethink our identities,"

Agency functions as an emergent property of assemblages rather than as a capacity of individual selves. Actions arise from concrete sociomaterial processes produced by collaborative interactions among diverse human and nonhuman entities. Nonhuman actors, including things without intentions or awareness, materially shape, enable, and constrain events. The relational account shifts emphasis from mental states and individual intentions to dynamic interactions, self-organization, and emergence. Interdisciplinary resources—Classical Chinese philosophy, analytic metaphysics on powers and emergence, scientific studies of self-organization, and insights from sociology, anthropology, and art—inform a framework with significant sociopolitical implications for identities, responsibilities, institutions, and policies.

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