ABSTRACT
Pains vary in intensity. A good philosophical theory of pain should say something about those variations. Imperative content prescribes some action to be taken, or some goal state to be attained. Pains are not the only sensation with imperative content. The difference between pain and many other sensations can be explained in terms of the differences in the imperatives that constitute them. This chapter establishes the general fact that imperatives can vary in intensity. It gives a model for variations in intensity, in which the variations are part of the content of the imperative. Imperativism is most exciting as an intentionalist theory, one in which phenomenal properties supervene on intentional contents. The chapter argues that imperative intensity can be generally modeled by something like the Autovon's ranking system. It concludes with a few brief reflections on the naturalization of imperative intensity.
