Mechanism And Causality In Biology And Economics

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Mechanism and Causality in Biology and Economics

Hsiang-Ke Chao,Szu-Ting Chen,Roberta L. Millstein
Mechanism and Causality in Biology and Economics Book PDF

Author : Hsiang-Ke Chao,Szu-Ting Chen,Roberta L. Millstein
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 256 pages
File Size : 42,9 Mb
Release : 2013-07-31
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9789400724549

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Mechanism and Causality in Biology and Economics by Hsiang-Ke Chao,Szu-Ting Chen,Roberta L. Millstein Pdf

This volume addresses fundamental issues in the philosophy of science in the context of two most intriguing fields: biology and economics. Written by authorities and experts in the philosophy of biology and economics, Mechanism and Causality in Biology and Economics provides a structured study of the concepts of mechanism and causality in these disciplines and draws careful juxtapositions between philosophical apparatus and scientific practice. By exploring the issues that are most salient to the contemporary philosophies of biology and economics and by presenting comparative analyses, the book serves as a platform not only for gaining mutual understanding between scientists and philosophers of the life sciences and those of the social sciences, but also for sharing interdisciplinary research that combines both philosophical concepts in both fields. The book begins by defining the concepts of mechanism and causality in biology and economics, respectively. The second and third parts investigate philosophical perspectives of various causal and mechanistic issues in scientific practice in the two fields. These two sections include chapters on causal issues in the theory of evolution; experiments and scientific discovery; representation of causal relations and mechanism by models in economics. The concluding section presents interdisciplinary studies of various topics concerning extrapolation of life sciences and social sciences, including chapters on the philosophical investigation of conjoining biological and economic analyses with, respectively, demography, medicine and sociology.

The Causal Structure of Natural Selection

Charles H. Pence
The Causal Structure of Natural Selection Book PDF

Author : Charles H. Pence
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 75 pages
File Size : 46,7 Mb
Release : 2021-11-04
Category : Science
ISBN : 1009100327

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The Causal Structure of Natural Selection by Charles H. Pence Pdf

Recent arguments concerning the nature of causation in evolutionary theory, now often known as the debate between the 'causalist' and 'statisticalist' positions, have involved answers to a variety of independent questions - definitions of key evolutionary concepts like natural selection, fitness, and genetic drift; causation in multi-level systems; or the nature of evolutionary explanations, among others. This Element offers a way to disentangle one set of these questions surrounding the causal structure of natural selection. Doing so allows us to clearly reconstruct the approach that some of these major competing interpretations of evolutionary theory have to this causal structure, highlighting particular features of philosophical interest within each. Further, those features concern problems not exclusive to the philosophy of biology. Connections between them and, in two case studies, contemporary metaphysics and philosophy of physics demonstrate the potential value of broader collaboration in the understanding of evolution.

The Routledge Handbook of Mechanisms and Mechanical Philosophy

Stuart Glennan,Phyllis Illari
The Routledge Handbook of Mechanisms and Mechanical Philosophy Book PDF

Author : Stuart Glennan,Phyllis Illari
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
Page : 474 pages
File Size : 44,9 Mb
Release : 2017-07-06
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781317552307

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The Routledge Handbook of Mechanisms and Mechanical Philosophy by Stuart Glennan,Phyllis Illari Pdf

Scientists studying the burning of stars, the evolution of species, DNA, the brain, the economy, and social change, all frequently describe their work as searching for mechanisms. Despite this fact, for much of the twentieth century philosophical discussions of the nature of mechanisms remained outside philosophy of science. The Routledge Handbook of Mechanisms and Mechanical Philosophy is an outstanding reference source to the key topics, problems, and debates in this exciting subject and is the first collection of its kind. Comprising over thirty chapters by a team of international contributors, the Handbook is divided into four Parts: Historical perspectives on mechanisms The nature of mechanisms Mechanisms and the philosophy of science Disciplinary perspectives on mechanisms. Within these Parts central topics and problems are examined, including the rise of mechanical philosophy in the seventeenth century; what mechanisms are made of and how they are organized; mechanisms and laws and regularities; how mechanisms are discovered and explained; dynamical systems theory; and disciplinary perspectives from physics, chemistry, biology, biomedicine, ecology, neuroscience, and the social sciences. Essential reading for students and researchers in philosophy of science, the Handbook will also be of interest to those in related fields, such as metaphysics, philosophy of psychology, and history of science.

Mechanisms and the Contingency of Social Causality

Alexei Anisin
Mechanisms and the Contingency of Social Causality Book PDF

Author : Alexei Anisin
Publisher : Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Page : 170 pages
File Size : 42,7 Mb
Release : 2022-08-04
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9781527586376

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Mechanisms and the Contingency of Social Causality by Alexei Anisin Pdf

Mechanisms are frequently brought up across the natural and social sciences as supplements to laws and empirical regularities. Recent decades have seen an explosion in mechanistic explanations in which philosophers of science, natural scientists, and social scientists have advocated, debated, and criticized the usage of mechanisms in their respective disciplines. As the intensity of these debates has increased, our understanding of the historical origin of mechanisms remains incomplete. Of the explanations that have been put forward, it has been argued that the roots of mechanisms are to be found in mechanical philosophy. This book demonstrates that an important set of factors have been overlooked in our understanding of the ontology of mechanisms. In shifting attention to a never-before-explored terrain in the etymological and semantic evolution of what arguably is the most commonly used scientific term, “the mechanism,” this text discovers that the origin of mechanisms is to be witnessed in ideas about social causality that arose within Ancient Greek tragedy and theater. It takes readers on a journey through socio-cultural settings and changes in Ancient Greece, early Christianity, the Roman Empire, and the Middle Ages, as well as the rise of science and modernity, and finishes in our current era of digital technology. As such, the book reveals how understandings of mechanisms have changed and evolved across time.

Unifying Causality and Psychology

Gerald Young
Unifying Causality and Psychology Book PDF

Author : Gerald Young
Publisher : Springer
Page : 950 pages
File Size : 51,7 Mb
Release : 2016-05-17
Category : Psychology
ISBN : 9783319240947

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Unifying Causality and Psychology by Gerald Young Pdf

This magistral treatise approaches the integration of psychology through the study of the multiple causes of normal and dysfunctional behavior. Causality is the focal point reviewed across disciplines. Using diverse models, the book approaches unifying psychology as an ongoing project that integrates genetics, experience, evolution, brain, development, change mechanisms, and so on. The book includes in its integration free will, epitomized as freedom in being. It pinpoints the role of the self in causality and the freedom we have in determining our own behavior. The book deals with disturbed behavior, as well, and tackles the DSM-5 approach to mental disorder and the etiology of psychopathology. Young examines all these topics with a critical eye, and gives many innovative ideas and models that will stimulate thinking on the topic of psychology and causality for decades to come. It is truly integrative and original. Among the topics covered: Models and systems of causality of behavior. Nature and nurture: evolution and complexities. Early adversity, fetal programming, and getting under the skin. Free will in psychotherapy: helping people believe. Causality in psychological injury and law: basics and critics. A Neo-Piagetian/Neo-Eriksonian 25-step (sub)stage model. Unifying Causality and Psychology appeals to the disciplines of psychology, psychiatry, epidemiology, philosophy, neuroscience, genetics, law, the social sciences and humanistic fields, in general, and other mental health fields. Its level of writing makes it appropriate for graduate courses, as well as researchers and practitioners.

Evolutionary Causation

Tobias Uller,Kevin N. Laland
Evolutionary Causation Book PDF

Author : Tobias Uller,Kevin N. Laland
Publisher : MIT Press
Page : 361 pages
File Size : 52,6 Mb
Release : 2019-09-03
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780262039925

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Evolutionary Causation by Tobias Uller,Kevin N. Laland Pdf

A comprehensive treatment of the concept of causation in evolutionary biology that makes clear its central role in both historical and contemporary debates. Most scientific explanations are causal. This is certainly the case in evolutionary biology, which seeks to explain the diversity of life and the adaptive fit between organisms and their surroundings. The nature of causation in evolutionary biology, however, is contentious. How causation is understood shapes the structure of evolutionary theory, and historical and contemporary debates in evolutionary biology have revolved around the nature of causation. Despite its centrality, and differing views on the subject, the major conceptual issues regarding the nature of causation in evolutionary biology are rarely addressed. This volume fills the gap, bringing together biologists and philosophers to offer a comprehensive, interdisciplinary treatment of evolutionary causation. Contributors first address biological motivations for rethinking evolutionary causation, considering the ways in which development, extra-genetic inheritance, and niche construction challenge notions of cause and process in evolution, and describing how alternative representations of evolutionary causation can shed light on a range of evolutionary problems. Contributors then analyze evolutionary causation from a philosophical perspective, considering such topics as causal entanglement, the commingling of organism and environment, and the relationship between causation and information. Contributors John A. Baker, Lynn Chiu, David I. Dayan, Renée A. Duckworth, Marcus W Feldman, Susan A. Foster, Melissa A. Graham, Heikki Helanterä, Kevin N. Laland, Armin P. Moczek, John Odling-Smee, Jun Otsuka, Massimo Pigliucci, Arnaud Pocheville, Arlin Stoltzfus, Karola Stotz, Sonia E. Sultan, Christoph Thies, Tobias Uller, Denis M. Walsh, Richard A. Watson

Philosophy of Science in Practice

Hsiang-Ke Chao,Julian Reiss
Philosophy of Science in Practice Book PDF

Author : Hsiang-Ke Chao,Julian Reiss
Publisher : Springer
Page : 204 pages
File Size : 43,7 Mb
Release : 2016-12-27
Category : Science
ISBN : 9783319455327

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Philosophy of Science in Practice by Hsiang-Ke Chao,Julian Reiss Pdf

This volume reflects the ‘philosophy of science in practice’ approach and takes a fresh look at traditional philosophical problems in the context of natural, social, and health research. Inspired by the work of Nancy Cartwright that shows how the practices and apparatuses of science help us to understand science and to build theories in the philosophy of science, this volume critically examines the philosophical concepts of evidence, laws, causation, and models and their roles in the process of scientific reasoning. Each chapter is an important one in the philosophy of science, while the volume as a whole deals with these philosophical concepts in a unified way in the context of actual scientific practice. This volume thus aims to contribute to this new direction in the philosophy of science.​

Causality and Objectivity in Macroeconomics

Tobias Henschen
Causality and Objectivity in Macroeconomics Book PDF

Author : Tobias Henschen
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
Page : 219 pages
File Size : 54,9 Mb
Release : 2023-09-29
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781000961782

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Causality and Objectivity in Macroeconomics by Tobias Henschen Pdf

Central banks and other policymaking institutions use causal hypotheses to justify macroeconomic policy decisions to the public and public institutions. These hypotheses say that changes in one macroeconomic aggregate (e.g. aggregate demand) cause changes in other macroeconomic aggregates (e.g. in inflation). An important (perhaps the most important) goal of macroeconomists is to provide conclusive evidence in support of these hypotheses. If they cannot provide any conclusive evidence, then policymaking institutions will be unable to use causal hypotheses to justify policy decisions, and then the scientific objectivity of macroeconomic policy analysis will be questionable. The book analyzes the accounts of causality that have been or can be proposed to capture the type of causality that underlies macroeconomic policy analysis, the empirical methods of causal inference that contemporary macroeconomists have at their disposal, and the conceptions of scientific objectivity that traditionally play a role in economics. The book argues that contemporary macroeconomists cannot provide any conclusive evidence in support of causal hypotheses, and that macroeconomic policy analysis doesn’t qualify as scientifically objective in any of the traditional meanings. The book also considers a number of steps that might have to be taken in order for macroeconomic policy analysis to become more objective. The book addresses philosophers of science and economics as well as (macro-) economists, econometricians and statisticians who are interested in causality and macro-econometric methods of causal inference and their wider philosophical and social context.

Explanation in the Special Sciences

Marie I. Kaiser,Oliver R. Scholz,Daniel Plenge,Andreas Hüttemann
Explanation in the Special Sciences Book PDF

Author : Marie I. Kaiser,Oliver R. Scholz,Daniel Plenge,Andreas Hüttemann
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 365 pages
File Size : 54,9 Mb
Release : 2013-11-29
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9789400775633

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Explanation in the Special Sciences by Marie I. Kaiser,Oliver R. Scholz,Daniel Plenge,Andreas Hüttemann Pdf

Biology and history are often viewed as closely related disciplines, with biology informed by history, especially in its task of charting our evolutionary past. Maximizing the opportunities for cross-fertilization in these two fields requires an accurate reckoning of their commonalities and differences—precisely what this volume sets out to achieve. Specially commissioned essays by a team of recognized international researchers cover the full panoply of topics in these fields and include notable contributions on the correlativity of evolutionary and historical explanations, applying to history the latest causal-mechanical approach in the philosophy of biology, and the question of generalized laws that might pertain across the two subjects. The collection opens with a vital interrogation of general issues on explanation that apart from potentially fruitful areas of interaction (could the etiology of the causal-mechanical perspective in biology account for the historical trajectory of the Roman Empire?) this volume also seeks to chart relative certainties distinguishing explanations in biology and history. It also assesses techniques such as the use of probabilities in biological reconstruction, deployed to overcome the inevitable gaps in physical evidence on early evolution. Methodologies such as causal graphs and semantic explanation receive in-depth analysis. Contributions from a host of prominent and widely read philosophers ensure that this new volume has the stature of a major addition to the literature. ​

Structure, Evidence, and Heuristic

Armin W. Schulz
Structure Evidence and Heuristic Book PDF

Author : Armin W. Schulz
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 241 pages
File Size : 49,5 Mb
Release : 2020-04-22
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781000067231

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Structure, Evidence, and Heuristic by Armin W. Schulz Pdf

This book is the first systematic treatment of the philosophy of science underlying evolutionary economics. It does not advocate an evolutionary approach towards economics, but rather assesses the epistemic value of appealing to evolutionary biology in economics more generally. The author divides work in evolutionary economics into three distinct, albeit related, forms: a structural form, an evidential form, and a heuristic form. He then analyzes five examples of work in evolutionary economics falling under these three forms. For the structural form, he examines the parallelism between natural selection and economic decision making, and the parallelism between natural selection and market competition. For the evidential form, he looks at the relationship between animal and human economic decision making, and the evolutionary explanation of diversity in human economic decision making. Finally, for the heuristic form, he focuses on the plausibility of equilibrium modeling in evolutionary ecology and economics. In this way, he shows that linking evolutionary biology and economics can make for a powerful methodological tool that can enable progress in our understanding of various economics questions. Structure, Evidence, and Heuristic will be of interest to scholars and advanced students working in philosophy of science, philosophy of social science, evolutionary biology, and economics.

Building Theories

David Danks,Emiliano Ippoliti
Building Theories Book PDF

Author : David Danks,Emiliano Ippoliti
Publisher : Springer
Page : 282 pages
File Size : 44,6 Mb
Release : 2018-01-18
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9783319727875

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Building Theories by David Danks,Emiliano Ippoliti Pdf

This book explores new findings on the long-neglected topic of theory construction and discovery, and challenges the orthodox, current division of scientific development into discrete stages: the stage of generation of new hypotheses; the stage of collection of relevant data; the stage of justification of possible theories; and the final stage of selection from among equally confirmed theories. The chapters, written by leading researchers, offer an interdisciplinary perspective on various aspects of the processes by which theories rationally should, and descriptively are, built. They address issues such as the role of problem-solving and heuristic reasoning in theory-building; how inferences and models shape the pursuit of scientific knowledge; the relation between problem-solving and scientific discovery; the relative values of the syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic view of theories in understanding theory construction; and the relation between ampliative inferences, heuristic reasoning, and models as a means for building new theories and knowledge. Through detailed arguments and examinations, the volume collectively challenges the orthodox view’s main tenets by characterizing the ways in which the different “stages” are logically, temporally, and psychologically intertwined. As a group, the chapters provide several attempts to answer long-standing questions about the possibility of a unified conceptual framework for building theories and formulating hypotheses.

Contemporary Philosophy and Social Science

Michiru Nagatsu,Attilia Ruzzene
Contemporary Philosophy and Social Science Book PDF

Author : Michiru Nagatsu,Attilia Ruzzene
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 403 pages
File Size : 45,7 Mb
Release : 2019-05-30
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781474248761

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Contemporary Philosophy and Social Science by Michiru Nagatsu,Attilia Ruzzene Pdf

How should we theorize about the social world? How can we integrate theories, models and approaches from seemingly incompatible disciplines? Does theory affect social reality? This state-of-the-art collection addresses contemporary methodological questions and interdisciplinary developments in the philosophy of social science. Facilitating a mutually enriching dialogue, chapters by leading social scientists are followed by critical evaluations from philosophers of social science. This exchange showcases recent major theoretical and methodological breakthroughs and challenges in the social sciences, as well as fruitful ways in which the analytic tools developed in philosophy of science can be applied to understand these advancements. The volume covers a diverse range of principles, methods, innovations and applications, including scientific and methodological pluralism, performativity of theories, causal inferences and applications of social science to policy and business. Taking a practice-orientated and interactive approach, it offers a new philosophy of social science grounded in and relevant to the emerging social science practice.

Causality, Probability, and Medicine

Donald Gillies
Causality Probability and Medicine Book PDF

Author : Donald Gillies
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 261 pages
File Size : 41,7 Mb
Release : 2018-08-15
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781317564287

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Causality, Probability, and Medicine by Donald Gillies Pdf

Why is understanding causation so important in philosophy and the sciences? Should causation be defined in terms of probability? Whilst causation plays a major role in theories and concepts of medicine, little attempt has been made to connect causation and probability with medicine itself. Causality, Probability, and Medicine is one of the first books to apply philosophical reasoning about causality to important topics and debates in medicine. Donald Gillies provides a thorough introduction to and assessment of competing theories of causality in philosophy, including action-related theories, causality and mechanisms, and causality and probability. Throughout the book he applies them to important discoveries and theories within medicine, such as germ theory; tuberculosis and cholera; smoking and heart disease; the first ever randomized controlled trial designed to test the treatment of tuberculosis; the growing area of philosophy of evidence-based medicine; and philosophy of epidemiology. This book will be of great interest to students and researchers in philosophy of science and philosophy of medicine, as well as those working in medicine, nursing and related health disciplines where a working knowledge of causality and probability is required.

Including a Symposium on Bruce Caldwell's Beyond Positivism after 35 Years

Luca Fiorito,Scott Scheall,Carlos Eduardo Suprinyak
Including a Symposium on Bruce Caldwell s Beyond Positivism after 35 Years Book PDF

Author : Luca Fiorito,Scott Scheall,Carlos Eduardo Suprinyak
Publisher : Emerald Group Publishing
Page : 203 pages
File Size : 52,8 Mb
Release : 2018-05-18
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781787561267

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Including a Symposium on Bruce Caldwell's Beyond Positivism after 35 Years by Luca Fiorito,Scott Scheall,Carlos Eduardo Suprinyak Pdf

Volume 36A of Research in the History of Economic Thought and Methodology features a symposium on Bruce Caldwell’s Beyond Positivism after 35 years. The volume also features general-research essays from Luis Mireles-Flores and Alain Marciano. Luca Fiorito presents a new discovery from the archives.

In Search of Mechanisms

Carl F. Craver,Lindley Darden
In Search of Mechanisms Book PDF

Author : Carl F. Craver,Lindley Darden
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 251 pages
File Size : 50,7 Mb
Release : 2013-10-03
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780226039824

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In Search of Mechanisms by Carl F. Craver,Lindley Darden Pdf

Neuroscientists investigate the mechanisms of spatial memory. Molecular biologists study the mechanisms of protein synthesis and the myriad mechanisms of gene regulation. Ecologists study nutrient cycling mechanisms and their devastating imbalances in estuaries such as the Chesapeake Bay. In fact, much of biology and its history involves biologists constructing, evaluating, and revising their understanding of mechanisms. With In Search of Mechanisms, Carl F. Craver and Lindley Darden offer both a descriptive and an instructional account of how biologists discover mechanisms. Drawing on examples from across the life sciences and through the centuries, Craver and Darden compile an impressive toolbox of strategies that biologists have used and will use again to reveal the mechanisms that produce, underlie, or maintain the phenomena characteristic of living things. They discuss the questions that figure in the search for mechanisms, characterizing the experimental, observational, and conceptual considerations used to answer them, all the while providing examples from the history of biology to highlight the kinds of evidence and reasoning strategies employed to assess mechanisms. At a deeper level, Craver and Darden pose a systematic view of what biology is, of how biology makes progress, of how biological discoveries are and might be made, and of why knowledge of biological mechanisms is important for the future of the human species.