Causality And Causal Explanation In Aristotle

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Causality and Causal Explanation in Aristotle

Author : Nathanael Stein
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 305 pages
File Size : 47,9 Mb
Release : 2023
Category : Causation
ISBN : 9780197660867

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Causality and Causal Explanation in Aristotle by Nathanael Stein Pdf

Aristotle's writings about causality and its relation to natural science are at the heart of his philosophical project, and at the origin of a 2,000-year history of inquiry into these topics. Yet for all the work done on various aspects of his thought, there has been no full-length philosophical study of his theory of causality, and some basic questions about it remain under-examined. For example, it is unclear, from what he and his commentators have said, (a) how Aristotle answers the main philosophical questions about causality to which he thinks his predecessors' answers are flawed, and (b) how his answers bear on the main questions we confront in thinking about causality in general, such that those answers could be usefully critiqued, developed, and compared with others. Nathanael Stein's book addresses these two questions. It is not a survey of Aristotle's claims, but rather focuses on a set of key conceptual, metaphysical, and epistemological questions that are important both for understanding Aristotle's responses to his predecessors and for understanding causality in general. The book thus provides the kind of philosophical engagement with Aristotle that has proven so fruitful in other domains, such as ethics and metaphysics. It also aims to contribute to a more accurate understanding of the differences between ancient and modern approaches to the natural world. This book is meant for anyone interested in philosophical theories of causation and explanation and their history, as well as those who have read Aristotle's thoughts on the topic of causality and come away wondering what it all really adds up to, and how we might engage with it.

Causality and Scientific Explanation

Author : William A. Wallace
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 310 pages
File Size : 40,9 Mb
Release : 1972
Category : Science
ISBN : UOM:39015001679045

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Causality and Scientific Explanation by William A. Wallace Pdf

William Wallace brings a fine intelligence and years of reflection to show how the concept of causal explanation can contribute to the cumulative growth of knowledge in science. Wallace's approach is historical as well as analytical, and consists in a careful and highly original study of how the search for causes has provided a paradigm of scientific method from its origins in the Middle Ages up to the present day. The first of two volumes poses the contemporary question and traces its origin back to the 'Posterior Analytics' of Aristotle. The author then concentrates on medieval science to document the impact of the 'Analytics' at the universities of Oxford, Paris, and Padua from the 13th to the 16th centuries, evaluating in the process the rival claims of historians of science as to the importance of these centers for the genesis of the experimental method. The volume concludes with a study of the founders of modern science from William Gilbert to Isaac Newton, showing the surprising use they made of causal concepts in their own now classical contributions.

Causality and Explanation

Author : Wesley C. Salmon
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 454 pages
File Size : 52,8 Mb
Release : 1998-01-22
Category : Science
ISBN : 019802682X

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Causality and Explanation by Wesley C. Salmon Pdf

For over two decades Wesley Salmon has helped to shape the course of debate in philosophy of science. He is a major contributor to the philosophical discussion of problems associated with causality and the author of two influential books on scientific explanation. This long-awaited volume collects twenty- six of Salmon's essays, including seven that have never before been published and others difficult to find. Part I comprises five introductory essays that presuppose no formal training in philosophy of science and form a background for subsequent essays. Parts II and III contain Salmon's seminal work on scientific explanation and causality. Part IV offers survey articles that feature advanced material but remain accessible to those outside philosophy of science. Essays in Part V address specific issues in particular scientific disciplines, namely, archaeology and anthropology, astrophysics and cosmology, and physics. Clear, compelling, and essential, this volume offers a superb introduction to philosophy of science for nonspecialists and belongs on the bookshelf of all who carry out work in this exciting field. Wesley Salmon is renowned for his seminal contributions to the philosophy of science. He has powerfully and permanently shaped discussion of such issues as lawlike and probabilistic explanation and the interrelation of explanatory notions to causal notions. This unique volume brings together twenty-six of his essays on subjects related to causality and explanation, written over the period 1971-1995. Six of the essays have never been published before and many others have only appeared in obscure venues. The volume includes a section of accessible introductory pieces, as well as more advanced and technical pieces, and will make essential work in the philosophy of science readily available to both scholars and students.

Theories of Causality

Author : John Losee
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 218 pages
File Size : 54,6 Mb
Release : 2017-07-28
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781351472302

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Theories of Causality by John Losee Pdf

What types of entities qualify as causes and effects? What is the relationship between cause and effect? How are causal claims to be assessed? The first question deals with the structure of the world; the second is about theories that interpret the relationship of causes to effects; while the third has to do with proper procedure in science and everyday life. This volume is a wide-ranging history of answers that have been given to these three questions, and their relationship to scientific understanding.Losee presents a number of theories of causality within a historical survey that emphasizes the interrelationship between these theories and developments in science. His analysis displays the strengths and weaknesses of these theories so as to contribute to our present understanding of causal relatedness.Among the positions discussed are those of Aristotle, Hume, Kant, Mill, Salmon, Lewis, and Woodward. Losee's analysis displays the strengths and weaknesses of theories that identify causal relatedness with regularity of sequence, probability increase, energy transfer, exchange of a conserved quantity, counterfactual dependence, and inferability.These theories are judged, in part,by their ability to resolvedifficulties posed by instances of overdetermination,causation by omission, preventive causation, and causation by disconnection. Since applications of the theories to these instances disagree, a strategy of employing multiple concepts of causation is examined.Theories of Causality also describes the particular difficulties for causal analysis posed by quantum mechanics. One such difficulty is the prohibition against combining a causal analysis of a quantum process with a spatio-temporal description of that process.

Revitalizing Causality

Author : Ruth Groff
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 282 pages
File Size : 53,7 Mb
Release : 2007-12-18
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781134193660

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Revitalizing Causality by Ruth Groff Pdf

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.

Causality and Modern Science

Author : Mario Bunge
Publisher : Courier Corporation
Page : 450 pages
File Size : 49,5 Mb
Release : 2012-09-19
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780486144870

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Causality and Modern Science by Mario Bunge Pdf

"I regard it as a truly seminal work in this field." — Professor William A. Wallace, author of Causality and Scientific ExplanationThis third edition of a distinguished book on the subject of causality is clear evidence that this principle continues to be an important area of philosophic enquiry.Non-technical and clearly written, this book focuses on the ontological problem of causality, with specific emphasis on the place of the causal principle in modern science. The author first defines the terminology employed and describes various formulations on the causal principle. He then examines the two primary critiques of causality, the empiricist and the romantic, as a prelude to the detailed explanation of the actual assertions of causal determination. Finally, Dr. Bunge analyzes the function of the causal principle in science, touching on such subjects as scientific law, scientific explanation, and scientific prediction. Included, also, is an appendix that offers specific replies to questions and criticisms raised upon the publication of the first edition.Now professor of philosophy and head of the Foundation and Philosophy of Science Unit at McGill University in Montreal, Dr. Mario Bunge has formerly been a full professor of theoretical physics. His observations on causality are of great interest to both scientists and humanists, as well as the general scientific and philosophic reader.

Explanation Beyond Causation

Author : Alexander Reutlinger,Juha Saatsi
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 282 pages
File Size : 48,6 Mb
Release : 2018
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780198777946

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Explanation Beyond Causation by Alexander Reutlinger,Juha Saatsi Pdf

What forms does explanation take if it is not based on causation? Fifteen leading philosophers explore this hot topic, arising from a shift in philosophical understanding of the nature of explanation which reflects actual explanatory practices in science, mathematics, and philosophy.

The Oxford Handbook of Causation

Author : Helen Beebee,Christopher Hitchcock,Peter Menzies
Publisher : OUP Oxford
Page : 816 pages
File Size : 47,6 Mb
Release : 2012-01-12
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780191629464

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The Oxford Handbook of Causation by Helen Beebee,Christopher Hitchcock,Peter Menzies Pdf

Causation is a central topic in many areas of philosophy. In metaphysics, philosophers want to know what causation is, and how it is related to laws of nature, probability, action, and freedom of the will. In epistemology, philosophers investigate how causal claims can be inferred from statistical data, and how causation is related to perception, knowledge and explanation. In the philosophy of mind, philosophers want to know whether and how the mind can be said to have causal efficacy, and in ethics, whether there is a moral distinction between acts and omissions and whether the moral value of an act can be judged according to its consequences. And causation is a contested concept in other fields of enquiry, such as biology, physics, and the law. This book provides an in-depth and comprehensive overview of these and other topics, as well as the history of the causation debate from the ancient Greeks to the logical empiricists. The chapters provide surveys of contemporary debates, while often also advancing novel and controversial claims; and each includes a comprehensive bibliography and suggestions for further reading. The book is thus the most comprehensive source of information about causation currently available, and will be invaluable for upper-level undergraduates through to professional philosophers.

Thinking about Causes

Author : Peter Machamer,Gereon Wolters
Publisher : University of Pittsburgh Pre
Page : 327 pages
File Size : 49,7 Mb
Release : 2007-06-03
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780822971115

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Thinking about Causes by Peter Machamer,Gereon Wolters Pdf

Emerging as a hot topic in the mid-twentieth century, causality is one of the most frequently discussed issues in contemporary philosophy. Causality has been a central concept in philosophy as well as in the sciences, especially the natural sciences, dating back to its beginning in Greek thought. David Hume famously claimed that causality is the cement of the universe. In general terms, it links eventualities, predicts the consequences of action, and is the cognitive basis for the acquisition and the use of categories and concepts in the child. Indeed, how could one answer why-questions, around which early rational thought begins to revolve, without hitting on the relationships between reason and consequence, cause and effect, or without drawing these distinctions? But a comprehensive definition of causality has been notoriously hard to provide, and virtually every aspect of causation has been subject to much debate and analysis. Thinking about Causes brings together top philosophers from the United States and Europe to focus on causality as a major force in philosophical and scientific thought. Topics addressed include: ancient Stoicism and moral philosophy; the case of sacramental causality; traditional causal concepts in Descartes; Kant on transcendental laws; the influence of J. S. Mill's politics on his concept of causation; plurality in causality; causality in modern physics; causality in economics; and the concept of free will. Taken together, the essays in this collection provide the best current thinking about causality, especially as it relates to the philosophy of science.

Causation and Explanation

Author : Stathis Psillos
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 446 pages
File Size : 52,9 Mb
Release : 2014-12-18
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781317489764

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Causation and Explanation by Stathis Psillos Pdf

What is the nature of causation? How is causation linked with explanation? And can there be an adequate theory of explanation? These questions and many others are addressed in this unified and rigorous examination of the philosophical problems surrounding causation, laws and explanation. Part 1 of this book explores Hume's views on causation, theories of singular causation, and counterfactual and mechanistic approaches. Part 2 considers the regularity view of laws and laws as relations among universals, as well as recent alternative approaches to laws. Part 3 examines the issues arising from deductive-nomological explanation, statistical explanation, the explanation of laws and the metaphysics of explanation. Accessible to readers of all levels, this book provides an excellent introduction to one of the most enduring problems of philosophy.

Neo-Aristotelian Perspectives on Formal Causation

Author : Ludger Jansen,Petter Sandstad
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 316 pages
File Size : 40,7 Mb
Release : 2021-03-21
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781000357912

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Neo-Aristotelian Perspectives on Formal Causation by Ludger Jansen,Petter Sandstad Pdf

This is the first volume of essays devoted to Aristotelian formal causation and its relevance for contemporary metaphysics and philosophy of science. The essays trace the historical development of formal causation and demonstrate its relevance for contemporary issues, such as causation, explanation, laws of nature, functions, essence, modality, and metaphysical grounding. The introduction to the volume covers the history of theories of formal causation and points out why we need a theory of formal causation in contemporary philosophy. Part I is concerned with scholastic approaches to formal causation, while Part II presents four contemporary approaches to formal causation. The three chapters in Part III explore various notions of dependence and their relevance to formal causation. Part IV, finally, discusses formal causation in biology and cognitive sciences. Neo-Aristotelian Perspectives on Formal Causation will be of interest to advanced graduate students and researchers working on contemporary Aristotelian approaches to metaphysics and philosophy of science. This volume includes contributions by José Tomás Alvarado, Christopher J. Austin, Giacomo Giannini, Jani Hakkarainen, Ludger Jansen, Markku Keinänen, Gyula Klima, James G. Lennox, Stephen Mumford, David S. Oderberg, Michele Paolini Paoletti, Sandeep Prasada, Petter Sandstad, Wolfgang Sattler, Benjamin Schnieder, Matthew Tugby, and Jonas Werner.

Causality

Author : Mario Bunge
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 424 pages
File Size : 42,8 Mb
Release : 1970
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : PSU:000002142630

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Causality by Mario Bunge Pdf

Cuando aparecio el original ingles de este libro, en 1959, la palabra causalidad habia caido en desuso en los medidos cientificos y filosoficos. En los primeros se sostenia que la fisica cuantica habia sustituido la causalidad por el azar, y en los segundos se aseguraba que era concepto metafisico, ya que el nexo entre causa y efecto es inobservable. Por estos motivos la publicacion de este libro causo cierta sensacion en los medios academicos norteamericanos y europeos. Tuvo gran difusion, se tradujo a varias lenguas y hoy se presenta en esta nueva edicion revisada por su autor.

Suárez on Aristotelian Causality

Author : Anonim
Publisher : BRILL
Page : 182 pages
File Size : 52,6 Mb
Release : 2015-03-31
Category : History
ISBN : 9789004292161

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Suárez on Aristotelian Causality by Anonim Pdf

Suárez on Aristotelian Causality offers the first comprehensive account of Francisco Suárez’s position with respect to the four Aristotelian causes in his Metaphysical Disputations.

The Effectiveness of Causes

Author : Dorothy Emmet
Publisher : State University of New York Press
Page : 150 pages
File Size : 50,7 Mb
Release : 1985-06-30
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781438402055

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The Effectiveness of Causes by Dorothy Emmet Pdf

The Effectiveness of Causes presents a strong view of causation seen as an operation between participants in events, and not as a relation holding between events themselves. In it, Emmet proposes that other philosophical views of cause and effect provide only a world of events, each of which is presented as an unchanging unit. Such a world, she contends, is a "Zeno universe," since transitions and movement are lost. Emmet offers a more complex interpretation of the various forms of causal dependence. She sees "immanent" causation in the mere persistence of things, where effects are not temporarily separable from causes, and she considers the operation of "efficacious grace." This is a new approach to the traditional problem and provides stimulating implications for the other metaphysical questions and for the philosophy of science.

Causation & Causality

Author : S. K. Leung
Publisher : Janus Publishing Company Lim
Page : 140 pages
File Size : 44,8 Mb
Release : 2002
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 1902835123

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Causation & Causality by S. K. Leung Pdf

With David Hume's profound philosophical doubts on causation at the background, this book attempts to answer many difficult questions. The author ridicules Spinoza's idea of causation in the form of Given a cause, its effect will follow as of necessity. Here the author introduces the notion of epistemological priority and temporal continuum to explain the ordinary conception of causation in connection with space and time. This bold analysis of causation is seen as an answer to Hume. Causation and causality are but epistemological reality that does not alter the metaphysical reality of nature itself.