1 Piotr Makowski Effectiveness and Efficiency. The Praxiological Sense of Actions (chapter two of my book: Tadeusz Kotarbiński’s Action Theory – Reinterpretive Studies, forthcoming in Palgrave Macmillan) draft: 06.03.16 please, do not quote! comments welcome makowski@amu.edu.pl 2.1. Introduction: The Efficiency Question 2.2. Kotarbiński’s Conception of Efficiency. A Critical Analysis 2.2.1. Efficacy 2.2.2. Efficiency as Skill 2.2.3. Efficiency as the Praxiological Summum Bonum? 2.3. Efficiency and Economy 2.3.1. Action-theoretically Interpreted Economy 2.3.2. Generic efficiency 2.3.3. Efficiency and the Resource-bounded Agents 2.4. Efficiency – a Vice? 2.4.1. The Morally Loaded View 2.4.2. The Well-being View 2.4.3. The Self-construction View Conclusion 2.1. Introduction: The Efficiency Question In Iris Murdoch’s A Fairly Honourable Defeat, Julius King makes a bet with his ex-partner Morgan Browne that he can destroy the gay marriage of their friends – one of them is the brother-in-law of Morgan. Morgan is still in love with Julius, so, as a ruthless man, he all the more wants to prove that he can get it done. He takes the relationship of her ex-girlfriend’s relative as an opportunity to show his dexterity in reaching his nasty goals. In consequence, he ruins it. One might think that Julius’ effectiveness supports his wrongdoing. Of course, the fact that Julius effectively achieves his nasty goals cannot be an argument against his effectiveness and his skills, since these skills can be, equally well, used to achieve praiseworthy ends. So, blaming Julius for