The Oxford Handbook of CausationHelen Beebee, Christopher Hitchcock, Peter Menzies 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. |
Contents
| 1 | |
| 19 | |
PART II STANDARD APPROACHES TO CAUSATION | 129 |
PART III ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES TO CAUSATION | 263 |
PART IV THE METAPHYSICS OF CAUSATION | 339 |
Other editions - View all
The Oxford Handbook of Causation Helen Beebee,Christopher Hitchcock,Peter Menzies Limited preview - 2012 |
The Oxford Handbook of Causation Helen Beebee,Christopher Hitchcock,Peter Menzies Limited preview - 2009 |
The Oxford Handbook of Causation Helen Beebee,Christopher Hitchcock,Peter Menzies No preview available - 2009 |
Common terms and phrases
account of causation action agent approach argued argument Aristotle asymmetry Cambridge University Press causal claims causal connection causal explanation causal inference causal laws Causal Markov Condition causal model causal perception causal processes causal relations causal structure causal theorists causal theory causes and effects Cognition concept of causation context contrast counterfactual dependence Descartes discussion distinction epistemic epistemology equations example existence experience external things fact factors human Hume Hume’s Humean ibid idea instantiation intervention intuitions involved issue Journal of Philosophy kind laws of nature Leibniz Lewis Malebranche mental properties Menzies metaphysical multiple realizability nomic non-causal notion objects occurred one’s ontological overdetermination Oxford University Press particular philosophers Philosophy of Science physical powers principle probabilistic probability distribution problem quantum mechanics reason reduction reductionism reductionist regularity Reichenbach relevant sect sense spacetime specific statistical statistical mechanics supervenience teleological temporal theory of causation tion values variables Woodward