Harbecke Mental Causation

Investigating the Mind’s Powers in a Natural World
1. Auflage 2013
ISBN: 978-3-11-032484-6
Verlag: De Gruyter
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, Band 8, 434 Seiten

Reihe: Metaphysical ResearchISSN

This work is a systematic investigation of a range of solutions offered today for the philosophical problem of mental causation. The premises constituting the problem are analyzed before a survey is developed of the most popular theories on mental causation. It is demonstrated in detail why most of these canonical solutions must be considered deficient. In a third part, the 'new compatibilist’s' approach to mental causation is explored, which is characterized by assertion of a non-identity-but-non-distinctness principle. The last part aims to offer an alternative solution to the problem. On the basis of a certain set of counterfactual conditionals, which are jointly taken to provide a definition of 'causal proportionality' that improves the existing definitions, it is shown that a specific, and hitherto widely neglected, version of causal overdeterminationism must be considered the most successful solution to the problem of mental causation.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Harbecke, Jens

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Philosophische Psychologie
• Sozialwissenschaften Psychologie Psychologie / Allgemeines & Theorie Psychologische Theorie, Psychoanalyse Philosophische Psychologie, Logotherapie, Existenzanalyse
• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaften Interdisziplinär Neurowissenschaften, Kognitionswissenschaft
• Sozialwissenschaften Psychologie Allgemeine Psychologie Biologische Psychologie, Neuropsychologie
• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Moderne Philosophische Disziplinen Philosophie des Geistes, Neurophilosophie
• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Metaphysik, Ontologie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1;Table of contents;5
2;Acknowledgements;6
3;Introduction;7
4;Chapter 1The Problem of Mental Causation: premises andcentral principles;13
4.1;1.1 Formulations of the Problem;16
4.2;1.2 Supervenience;50
4.3;1.3 Multiple realization and functional states;68
4.4;1.4 Epiphenomena and the Eleatic Principle;81
4.5;1.5 Theoretical economy and explanatory strength;83
4.6;1.6 The neutrality of the Problem;85
5;Chapter 2Canonical solutions to the Problem;103
5.1;2.1 Dualism;103
5.2;2.2 Physicalism;113
5.3;2.3 Special cases;156
5.4;2.4 Summary and conclusion;160
6;Chapter 3New compatibilism and mental causation;163
6.1;3.1 The “constitutionalist” approach;167
6.2;3.2 The “determinationist” approach;175
6.3;3.3 Theories inspired by the “determinationist” approach;211
6.4;3.4 Critique;225
6.5;3.5 Summary and conclusion;249
7;Chapter 4Open solutions;251
7.1;4.1 Introductory remarks;252
7.2;4.2 Reviewing the solutions;279
7.3;4.3 Overdeterminationism Lite pursued;313
7.4;4.4 Plural Determinism pursued;346
7.5;4.5 Overdeterminationism Lite vs. Plural Determinism;406
7.6;4.6 Summary and Conclusion;408
8;Bibliography;409