Causation and Explanation

by Campbell, Joseph Keim; O'Rourke, Michael; Silverstein, Harry

• ISBN13: 9780262532907
• ISBN10: 0262532905
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-07-01
• Publisher: Bradford Books

Summary

This collection of original essays on the topics of causation and explanation offers readers a state-of-the-art view of current work in these areas. The book is notable for its interdisciplinary character, and the essays, by distinguished authors and important rising scholars, will be of interest to a wide readership, including philosophers, computer scientists, and economists. Students and scholars alike will find the book valuable for its wide-ranging treatment of two difficult philosophical topics. The volume focuses first on the development of theories of causation and explanation, and then on the application of those theories. Theoretical discussions include Patrick Suppes's investigation of the causal issues surrounding intentional activities such as computation and decision making, and Clark Glymour and Frank Wimberly's analysis of technical issues encountered in formulating an account of actual causation. The essays exploring applications include Nancy Cartwright's examination of the application of counterfactuals to economics and Alfred Mele's criticism of the work of Benjamin Libet on the applicability of experimental results in psychology to philosophical analyses of free will and self-control. Causation and Explanationoffers a remarkably wide-ranging set of essays on two topics that present difficult philosophical issues.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. vii
Introduction	p. ix
Explaining Four Psychological Asymmetries in Causal Reasoning: Implications of Causal Assumptions for Coherence	p. 1
Causality and Computation	p. 33
Actual Causes and Thought Experiments	p. 43
What's Wrong with Neuron Diagrams?	p. 69
Mackie Remixed	p. 93
Occasional Causes	p. 119
In Defense of Explanatory Deductivism	p. 133
Goal-Directed Action and Teleological Explanation	p. 155
Van Fraassen's Dutch Book Argument against Explanationism	p. 171
Counterfactuals in Economics: A Commentary	p. 191
Why Don't You Want to Be Rich? Preference Explanation on the Basis of Causal Structure	p. 217
Decisions, Intentions, Urges, and Free Will: Why Libet Has Not Shown What He Says He Has	p. 241
Constitutive Overdetermination	p. 265
Ex nihilo nihil fit: Arguments New and Old for the Principle of Sufficient Reason	p. 291
Index	p. 311
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.