Overview

Downward causation plays a fundamental role in many theories of metaphysics and philosophy of mind. It is strictly connected with many topics in philosophy, including but not limited to: emergence, mental causation, the nature of causation, the nature of causal powers and dispositions, laws of nature, and the possibility of ontological and epistemic reductions. Philosophical and Scientific Perspectives on Downward Causation brings together experts from different fields—including William Bechtel, Stewart Clark and Tom Lancaster, Carl Gillett, John Heil, Robin F. Hendry, Max Kistler, Stephen Mumford and Rani Lill Anjum —who delve into classic and unexplored lines of philosophical inquiry related to downward causation. It critically assesses the possibility of downward causation given different ontological assumptions and explores the connection between downward causation and the metaphysics of causation and dispositions. Finally, it presents different cases of downward causation in empirical fields such as physics, chemistry, biology and the neurosciences. This volume is both a useful introduction and a collection of original contributions on this fascinating and hotly debated philosophical topic.

Full Product Details

Author:   Michele Paolini Paoletti ,  Francesco Orilia
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   Routledge
Weight:   0.467kg
ISBN:  

9780367372309

ISBN 10:   0367372304
Pages:   334
Publication Date:   12 July 2019
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Undergraduate
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Downward Causation: an Opinionated Introduction Michele Paolini Paoletti and Francesco Orilia Part I: Downward Causation and the Metaphysics of Causation Chapter 2: Three Grades of Downward Causation Francesco Orilia and Michele Paolini Paoletti Chapter 3: Downward Causation John Heil Chapter 4: Higher Level, Downward and Specific Causation Max Kistler Chapter 5: Powers and Downward Causation Erasmus Mayr Chapter 6: Emergence and Demergence Rani Lill Anjum and Stephen Mumford Chapter 7: Power Mereology, Structural Powers versus Substantial Powers Anna Marmodoro Part II: Downward Causation and the Sciences Chapter 8: The Use of Downward Causation in Condensed Matter Physics Stewart J. Clark and Tom Lancaster Chapter 9: Prospects for Strong Emergence in Chemistry Robin F. Hendry Chapter 10: Causality and Levels of Explanation in Biology Marta Bertolaso and Marco Buzzoni Chapter 11: The Interlacing of Upward and Downward Causation in Complex Living Systems. On Interactions, Self-Organization, Emergency and Wholeness Luciano Boi Chapter 12: Top-Down Causation in Biology and Neuroscience: Control Hierarchies William Bechtel Chapter 13: Early Complexity in Human Development François Jouen and Michèle Molina Chapter 14: Scientific Emergentism and Its Move Beyond (Direct) Downward Causation Carl Gillett Part III: Downward Causation, Mind and Agency Chapter 15: The Mental Causation Debate and Qua Problems Sophie C. Gibb Chapter 16: Agent-Causation – Neither Upward Nor Downward Uwe Meixner Chapter 17 The Compatibility of Downward Causation and Emergence Simone Cozzano Chapter 18: The Views on Mental Downward Causation Mario De Caro and Matteo Grasso

Reviews

Paolini Paoletti and Orilia's anthology, comprising eighteen chapters from European and American metaphysicians, philosophers of mind, philosophers of science, and scientists, offers a good sense of where things stand together with some interesting suggestions on how to move forward . . . The essays by and large try to foster a conversation between metaphysics and philosophy of science, to the benefit of both fields. -- Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews

Author Information

"Michele Paolini Paoletti is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Macerata (Italy). He has published articles and books on several ontological issues (including the theory of fictional objects, negative facts, relations), on physicalism and emergentism (for example, his recent ""How Powers Emerge from Relations"" on Axiomathes). Francesco Orilia is a Professor of Logic and Philosophy of Language at the University of Macerata (Italy). His research focuses on ontology, logic, philosophy of language and mind. His recent publications include: Singular Reference. A Descriptivist Perspective (2010), ""Positions, Ordering Relations, O-Roles"" (2014), ""Moderate Presentism"" (2016)."

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