Reconsidering causal powers : historical and conceptual perspectives /
"Causal powers are returning to the forefront of realist philosophy of science. They were once central features of philosophical thinking about the natures of substances and causes but were banished during the early modern era and the Scientific Revolution. In this collection of essays, disting...
| Other Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | eBook |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Oxford :
Oxford University Press,
2021.
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| Edition: | First edition. |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Connect to the full text of this electronic book |
| Summary: | "Causal powers are returning to the forefront of realist philosophy of science. They were once central features of philosophical thinking about the natures of substances and causes but were banished during the early modern era and the Scientific Revolution. In this collection of essays, distinguished scholars revisit the fortunes of causal powers as scientific explanatory principles within the theories of substance and cause across history. Each author is focused on the philosophical role(s) causal powers was/were thought at the time to play and the reasons offered in support of, or against, their coherence and ability to perform their role(s). By placing rigorous philosophical analyses of thinking about causal powers within their historical contexts, features of their natures which might remain hidden to contemporary practitioners can be more readily identified and more carefully analysed. Canvassed are the thoughts of such important philosophers as Aristotle, Scotus, and Ockham and Buridan, then on through Suárez, Descartes, and Malebranche, to Locke and Hume, and ultimately to contemporary figures like the logical positivists, Goodman and Lewis"--Publisher's description. |
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| Physical Description: | 1 online resources (320 pages) |
| Audience: | Specialized. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: | 9780192640925 0192640925 9780191905858 0191905852 |