For each person, some actions are unthinkable: performing them requires crossing a line that one's conscience cannot allow crossing. This article explores what such unthinkability is. In doing so, it introduces a novel categorization of theories of action and practical reason. The article argues that an action is unthinkable if and only if the agent judges that she should never treat any consideration as a reason in favor of performing this action. This view meets two important tests. The first is ‘Failure’: a theory of unthinkable action must allow for the conceptual possibility of doing the unthinkable and explain what is special about the failure implicated in doing the unthinkable, especially in comparison to the failure implicated in akratic action. The second is ‘Incapacity’: a theory of unthinkability must distinguish between not doing something because it is unthinkable and not doing something because of an extremely negative psychological reaction.

中文翻译：

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 难以想象的行动


对于每个人来说，有些行为是不可想象的：执行这些行为需要跨越一个人的良心不允许跨越的界限。本文探讨了这种不可想象的现象是什么。在此过程中，它引入了行动理论和实践理性的新颖分类。文章认为，当且仅当代理人判断她不应该将任何考虑作为支持执行该行动的理由时，该行动才是不可想象的。这个观点符合两个重要的检验。第一个是“失败”：不可想象的行动的理论必须考虑到做不可想象的事情的概念可能性，并解释做不可想象的事情所涉及的失败的特殊之处，特别是与非理性行动所涉及的失败相比。第二个是“无能力”：不可想象的理论必须区分因为不可想象而不做某事和因为极度消极的心理反应而不做某事。