Description
A Critical Introduction to Causation and Causal Powers responds to a groundswell of interest in the topic of causal powers in contemporary metaphysics, presenting a fresh systematic overview of the realist literature,debates and arguments.
Introducing the topic via the lens of a contrast between passivism and anti-passivism, the contrast is established in the opening historical overview, plotting the course from Aristotle to early modern rationalism, through to Hume, Reid, Kant and Mill. As well as covering contemporary and 20th century neo-Humean accounts, this introduction includes a review of foundational work on causal powers and dispositional properties in the 1970s, taking care to include both a descriptive and an analytic component. Exploring contemporary anti-passivist thinking about causation, it covers leading theories of causation and provides powers-based approaches to matters such as laws, essences, necessitation, determinism, pandispositionalism, transitivity and induction. The ascription of causal powers to different kinds of potential causal bearer is also addressed: individual agents, sociological phenomena; abstractions and absences.
Offering a balanced approach to this key metaphysical topic, A Critical Introduction to Causation and Causal Powers not only introduces debates amongst anti-passivists, but explains throughout how the same issues are handled by passivists. With study questions and references for further reading at the end of each chapter, this is an accessible, up-to-date overview designed for students and researchers working in metaphysics today.
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Table of Contents
2. Contemporary &20th Century Passivism
3. The Recovery of Causal Powers & Dispositional Properties
4. Contemporary Anti-Passivism: Causation as Doing
5. Related Debates: Laws,Necessity, Essentialism & Pandispositionalism
6. Complications,Implications, Considerations
7. The Causal Powers of Agents
8. The Causal Powers of Sociological Phenomena
9. Difficult Cases (I):The Causal Powers of Abstractions
10. Difficult Cases (II):The Causal Power(s) of Absence
Annotated
Bibliography
Index
Product details
| Published | 18 Mar 2027 |
|---|---|
| Format | Ebook (Epub & Mobi) |
| Edition | 1st |
| Pages | 224 |
| ISBN | 9781472530295 |
| Imprint | Bloomsbury Academic |
| Series | Bloomsbury Critical Introductions to Contemporary Metaphysics |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
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