1) Is there some sort of events in the mind that we can properly call mental actions? EX: remembering?

Question

1) Is there some sort of events in the mind that we can properly call mental actions?

EX: Is trying to remember my aunt’s telephone number a mental action?

2) What conditions should these mental events satisfy to qualify for actions?

Some philosophers have answered to these questions:
YES: we can understand thinking in terms of action.
(O’Brien & Soteriou 2009; Proust 2009; Peacocke 2008; Campbell 2002). Thus, Remembering, calculating, judging, deciding, solving a chess problem in the mind are all mental actions.

NO: it is just a way of talking and most of these mental events just happen to us; they are not intentionally carried out.
(Ruben, 1995; Strawson 2003; Carruthers 2009)

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

It all depends on the definition of terms. It is possible to create definitions that allow us to see structure while other definitions would just make things appear to be random. Lightning is either an act of Zeus throwing something, a mysterious unpredictable thing or a predictable part of weather.