Teleological Realism

Author : Scott Robert Sehon
Publisher : MIT Press
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 272 pages
Book Rating : 4.99/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Teleological Realism written by Scott Robert Sehon and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2005 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A non-reductionist account of mind and agency claiming that common-sense psychological explanations are teleological and not causal. Using the language of common-sense psychology (CSP), we explain human behavior by citing its reason or purpose, and this is central to our understanding of human beings as agents. On the other hand, since human beings are physical objects, human behavior should also be explicable in the language of physical science, in which causal accounts cast human beings as collections of physical particles. CSP talk of mind and agency, however, does not seem to mesh well with the language of physical science. In Teleological Realism, Scott Sehon argues that CSP explanations are not causal but teleological--that they cite the purpose or goal of the behavior in question rather than an antecedent state that caused the behavior. CSP explanations of behavior, Sehon claims, are answering a question different from that answered by physical science explanations, and, accordingly, CSP explanations and physical science explanations are independent of one another. Common-sense facts about mind and agency can thus be independent of the physical facts about human beings, and, contrary to the views of most philosophers of mind in recent decades, common-sense psychology will not be subsumed by physical science. Sehon defends his non-reductionist account of mind and agency in clear and nontechnical language. He carefully distinguishes his view from forms of "strong naturalism" that would seem to preclude it. And he evaluates key objections to teleological realism, including those posed by Donald Davidson's influential article "Actions, Reasons and Causes" and some put forth by more recent proponents of causal theories of action. CSP, Sehon argues, has a different realm than does physical science; the normative notions that are central to CSP are not reducible to physical facts and laws.

Author : David Owen Brink
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780521359375
Total Pages : 394 pages
Book Rating : 4.76/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Moral Realism and the Foundations of Ethics written by David Owen Brink and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1989-02-24 with total page 394 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A systematic analysis considers the objectivity of ethics, the relationship between the moral point of view and a scientific or naturalist worldview and its role in a person's rational lifespan.

Author : Robert C. Koons
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0195350537
Total Pages : 368 pages
Book Rating : 4.31/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Realism Regained written by Robert C. Koons and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2000-11-16 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this wide-ranging philosophical work, Koons takes on two powerful dogmas--anti-realism and materialism. In doing so, Koons develops an elegant metaphysical system that accounts for such phenomena as information, mental representation, our knowledge of logic, mathematics and science, the structure of spacetime, the identity of physical objects, and the objectivity of values and moral norms.

Author : Ohad Nachtomy
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199987327
Total Pages : 368 pages
Book Rating : 4.20/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Life Sciences in Early Modern Philosophy written by Ohad Nachtomy and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2013-12-04 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The present volume advances a recent historiographical turn towards the intersection of early modern philosophy and the life sciences by bringing together many of its leading scholars to present the contributions of important but often neglected figures, such as Ralph Cudworth, Nehemiah Grew, Francis Glisson, Hieronymus Fabricius ab Aquapendente, Georg Ernst Stahl, Juan Gallego de la Serna, Nicholas Hartsoeker, Henry More, as well as more familiar figures such as Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Malebranche, and Kant. The contributions to this volume are organized in accordance with the particular problems that living beings and living nature posed for early modern philosophy: the problem of life in general, whether it constitutes something ontologically distinct at all, or whether it can ultimately be exhaustively comprehended "in the same manner as the rest"; the problem of the structure of living beings, by which we understand not just bare anatomy but also physiological processes such as irritability, motion, digestion, and so on; the problem of generation, which might be included alongside digestion and other vital processes, were it not for the fact that it presented such an exceptional riddle to philosophers since antiquity, namely, the riddle of coming-into-being out of -- apparent or real -- non-being; and, finally, the problem of natural order.

Author : Sarah Paul
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317245032
Total Pages : 159 pages
Book Rating : 4.32/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Philosophy of Action written by Sarah Paul and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-12-29 with total page 159 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offers an accessible and inclusive overview of the major debates in the philosophy of action. It covers the distinct approaches taken by Donald Davidson, G.E.M. Anscombe, and numerous others to answering questions like "what are intentional actions?" and "how do reasons explain actions?" Further topics include intention, practical knowledge, weakness and strength of will, self-governance, and collective agency. With introductions, conclusions, and annotated suggested reading lists for each of the ten chapters, it is an ideal introduction for advanced undergraduates as well as any philosopher seeking a primer on these issues.

Author : Joseph Keim Campbell
Publisher : MIT Press
ISBN 13 : 0262033631
Total Pages : 335 pages
Book Rating : 4.33/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Causation and Explanation written by Joseph Keim Campbell and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2007 with total page 335 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Leading scholars discuss the development and application of theories of causation and explanation, offering a state-of-the-art view of current work on these two topics.

Author : Robert C. Koons
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN 13 : 0195135679
Total Pages : 368 pages
Book Rating : 4.71/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Realism Regained written by Robert C. Koons and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2000 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this wide-ranging philosophical work, Koons takes on two powerful dogmas--anti-realism and materialism. In doing so, Koons develops an elegant metaphysical system that accounts for such phenomena as information, mental representation, our knowledge of logic, mathematics and science, the structure of spacetime, the identity of physical objects, and the objectivity of values and moral norms.

Author : Diarmid A. Finnegan
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
ISBN 13 : 1000840379
Total Pages : 346 pages
Book Rating : 4.77/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Conjunctive Explanations in Science and Religion written by Diarmid A. Finnegan and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2023-02-28 with total page 346 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book investigates the nature and relevance of conjunctive explanations in the context of science and religion. It explores questions concerning how scientific and religious explanations for features of the world or phenomena within it relate to each other and whether they might work together in mutually enriching ways. The chapters address topics including the relationship between Darwinian and teleological explanations, non-reductive explanations of mind and consciousness, and explanations of Christian faith and religious experience, while others explore theological and philosophical issues concerning the nature and feasibility of conjunctive explanations. Overall, the contributions help to provide conceptual clarity on how scientific and religious explanations might or might not work together conjunctively as well as exploring how these ideas relate to specific topics in science and religion more generally.

Author : Mervyn Hartwig
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317420713
Total Pages : 556 pages
Book Rating : 4.12/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Dictionary of Critical Realism written by Mervyn Hartwig and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-01-30 with total page 556 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dictionary of Critical Realism fulfils a vital gap in the literature, Critical Realism is often criticised for being too opaque and deploying too much jargon, thereby making the concepts inaccessible for a wider audience. However, as Hartwig puts it 'Just as the tools of the various skilled trades need to be precision-engineered for specific, interrelated functions, so meta-theory requires concepts honed for specific interrelated tasks: it is impossible to think creatively at that level without them.' This Dictionary seeks to redress this problem; to throw open the important contribution of Critical Realism to a wider audience for the first time, by thoroughly explaining all the key concepts and key developments. It includes 500 entries on these themes, and has contributions from major players in field. However this text does not stop there, it goes further than simply elucidating the concepts and includes a number of essays which use the notions in important areas, thereby demonstrating the appropriate use of the concepts in action to encourage their wider use. This book will become a requisite reference tool for Critical Realist scholars and Philosophers and Social scientists alike will enjoy this vital introduction and explanatory text of the indispensable ideas contained within the dynamic and vibrant school of Critical Realism.

Author : Stewart Goetz
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1441101896
Total Pages : 380 pages
Book Rating : 4.91/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Freedom, Teleology, and Evil written by Stewart Goetz and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2011-10-27 with total page 380 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Freedom, Teleology, and Evil Stewart Goetz defends the existence of libertarian freedom of the will. He argues that choices are essentially uncaused events with teleological explanations in the form of reasons or purposes. Because choices are uncaused events with teleological explanations, whenever agents choose they are free to choose otherwise. Given this freedom to choose otherwise, agents are morally responsible for how they choose. Thus, Goetz advocates and defends the principle of alternative possibilities which states that agents are morally responsible for a choice only if they are free to choose otherwise. Finally, given that agents have libertarian freedom, Goetz contends that this freedom is integral to the construction of a theodicy which explains why God allows evil.