Knowing what motivates another person is a peculiar and fascinating kind of
mindreading, yet it is evidence of a very human impulse. We often use a person s
perceived sources of behavior as an ethical mirror. At other times we face the
more practical problem of determining how much we can allow our life to be
entwined with another. The Rhetoric of Intention in Human Affairs is an
insightful account of the rhetorical and psychological habits we exhibit when we
must explain the reasons others act. Beginning with a clear template for
defining various tiers of motives-talk, this innovative and accessible study
moves through a series of