Revitalizing Causality

Revitalizing Causality
Author: Ruth Groff
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 282
Release: 2007-12-18
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1134193661

Download Revitalizing Causality Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

This cutting edge collection of new and previously published articles by philosophers and social scientists addresses just what it means to invoke causal mechanisms, or powers, in the context of offering a causal explanation. A unique collection, it offers the reader various disciplinary and inter-disciplinary divides, helping to stake out a new, neo-Aristotelian position within contemporary debate.

Causal Realism

Causal Realism
Author: John C. Cahalan
Publisher: John C. Cahalan
Total Pages: 518
Release: 1985
Genre: Current Events
ISBN: 0819146226

Download Causal Realism Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

NOTE: Series number is not an integer: n/a

The New Hume Debate

The New Hume Debate
Author: Rupert Read
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 223
Release: 2002-11
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1134555288

Download The New Hume Debate Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

First Published in 2004. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Hume's Theory of Causation

Hume's Theory of Causation
Author: Angela M. Coventry
Publisher: A&C Black
Total Pages: 192
Release: 2006-06-08
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1847142222

Download Hume's Theory of Causation Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Causation has always been a central topic in the history of philosophy. Many theories causation have been advanced, but not one has approached anything like general acceptance. Yet the concept of causation is prevalent in many areas of contemporary philosophy: there are the causal theories of language, of action, of personal identity, of knowledge, of perception, of scientific explanation, and of reference. If causation is doing all this philosophical work, it seems essential to strive for an intelligible account of what a 'cause' actually is. One obvious place to start is Hume's analysis of causation, which is generally thought to be the most significant and influential single contribution to the topic. But despite the widely recognized importance of his analysis, many opposing interpretations surround his causal theory. There are some commentators who believe that his theory is a version of realism and many others who argue that it is a version of anti-realism. There is considerable textual evidence for, and also against, each interpretation. Angela Coventry develops a more conciliatory approach. She argues that Hume's causal theory is best understood as 'quasi-realist' - an intermediate position between realism and anti-realism. This makes sense of some seemingly contradictory passages in Hume's work and also provides an answer to a major objection which is commonly thought to devastate his causal theory. Coventry then goes on to outline a general, topic-independent, conception of quasi-realism as distinct from realistm and anti-realism that allows it to stand as a consistent third alternative.

Projection and Realism in Hume's Philosophy

Projection and Realism in Hume's Philosophy
Author: P. J. E. Kail
Publisher: Clarendon Press
Total Pages: 302
Release: 2010-04-22
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0191614599

Download Projection and Realism in Hume's Philosophy Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

In his writings, Hume talks of our 'gilding and staining' natural objects, and of the mind's propensity to 'spread itself' on the world. This has led commentators to use the metaphor of 'projection' in connection with his philosophy: Hume is held to have taught that causal power and self are projections, that God is a projection of our fear, and that value is a projection of sentiment. By considering what it is about Hume's writing that occasions this metaphor, P. J. E. Kail spells out its meaning, the role it plays in Hume's work, and examines how, if at all, what sounds 'projective' in Hume can be reconciled with what sounds 'realist'. In addition to offering some highly original readings of Hume's central ideas, Projection and Realism in Hume's Philosophy offers a detailed examination of the notion of projection and the problems it faces.

Scientific Realism in Particle Physics

Scientific Realism in Particle Physics
Author: Matthias Egg
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
Total Pages: 254
Release: 2014-08-19
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 3110383519

Download Scientific Realism in Particle Physics Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Particle physics studies highly complex processes which cannot be directly observed. Scientific realism claims that we are nevertheless warranted in believing that these processes really occur and that the objects involved in them really exist. This book defends a version of scientific realism, called causal realism, in the context of particle physics. The first part of the book introduces the central theses and arguments in the recent philosophical debate on scientific realism and discusses entity realism, which is the most important precursor of causal realism. It also argues against the view that the very debate on scientific realism is not worth pursuing at all. In the second part, causal realism is developed and the key distinction between two kinds of warrant for scientific claims is clarified. This distinction proves its usefulness in a case study analyzing the discovery of the neutrino. It is also shown to be effective against an influential kind of pessimism, according to which even our best present theories are likely to be replaced some day by radically distinct alternatives. The final part discusses some specific challenges posed to realism by quantum physics, such as non-locality, delayed choice and the absence of particles in relativistic quantum theories.

Realism Regained

Realism Regained
Author: Robert C. Koons
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 368
Release: 2000
Genre: Causation
ISBN: 0195135679

Download Realism Regained Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

In this wide-ranging philosophical work, Koons takes on two powerful dogmas--anti-realism and materialism. In doing so, Koons develops an elegant metaphysical system that accounts for such phenomena as information, mental representation, our knowledge of logic, mathematics and science, the structure of spacetime, the identity of physical objects, and the objectivity of values and moral norms.

Causal Realism

Causal Realism
Author: John C. Cahalan
Publisher: University Press of Amer
Total Pages: 0
Release: 1985
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 9780819146212

Download Causal Realism Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

The Secret Connexion

The Secret Connexion
Author: Galen Strawson
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 263
Release: 2014-02
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0199605858

Download The Secret Connexion Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

In this revised edition of The Secret Connexion, Galen Strawson explores one of the most discussed subjects in philosophy: David Hume's work on causation. He argues that Hume believes in causal influence, but insists that we cannot know its nature. The regularity theory of causation is indefensible, and Hume never adopted it in any case.

The Secret Connexion

The Secret Connexion
Author: Galen Strawson
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2014-03-27
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0191022667

Download The Secret Connexion Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

In this revised and updated edition of The Secret Connexion, Galen Strawson explores one of the most discussed subjects in all philosophy: David Hume's work on causation. Strawson challenges the standard view of Hume, according to which he thinks that there is no such thing as causal influence, and that there is nothing more to causation than things of one kind regularly following things things of another kind. He argues that Hume does believe in causal influence, but insists that we cannot know its nature. The regularity theory of causation is indefensible, and Hume never adopted it in any case.