Physical Realism
Author : Thomas Case
Publisher :
Page : 442 pages
File Size : 44,52 MB
Release : 1888
Category : Cognition
ISBN :
Author : Thomas Case
Publisher :
Page : 442 pages
File Size : 44,52 MB
Release : 1888
Category : Cognition
ISBN :
Author : Scott Robert Sehon
Publisher : Bradford Books
Page : 272 pages
File Size : 16,60 MB
Release : 2005
Category : Philosophy
ISBN :
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 : Steven French
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 352 pages
File Size : 40,55 MB
Release : 2020-02-13
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 0192546562
Quantum theory is widely regarded as one of the most successful theories in the history of science. It explains a hugely diverse array of phenomena and is a natural candidate for our best representation of the world at the level of 'fundamental' physics. But how can the world be the way quantum theory says it is? It is famously unclear what the world is like according to quantum physics, which presents a serious problem for the scientific realist who is committed to regarding our best theories as more or less true. The present volume canvasses a variety of responses to this problem, from restricting or revising realism in different ways to exploring entirely new directions in the lively debate surrounding realist interpretations of quantum physics. Some urge us to focus on new formulations of the theory itself, while others examine the status of scientific realism in the further context of quantum field theory. Each chapter is written by a renowned specialist in the field and is aimed at graduate students and researchers in both physics and the philosophy of science. Together they offer a range of illuminating new perspectives on this fundamental debate and exemplify the fruitful interaction between physics and philosophy.
Author : Brian Ellis
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 176 pages
File Size : 39,73 MB
Release : 2014-12-05
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 131749220X
This book presents a major statement on the dominant philosophy of science by one of the world's leading metaphysicians. Brian Ellis's new book develops the metaphysics of scientific realism to the point where it begins to take on the characteristics of a first philosophy. As most people understand it, scientific realism is not yet such a theory. It is not sufficiently general, and has no plausible applications in fields other than the well-established sciences. Nevertheless, Ellis demonstrates that the original arguments that led to scientific realism may be deployed more widely than they originally were to fill out a more complete picture of what there is. Ellis shows that realistic theories of quantum mechanics, time, causality and human freedom can all be developed satisfactorily, and moral theory can be recast to fit within this comprehensive metaphysical framework.
Author : William P. Alston
Publisher : Cornell University Press
Page : 324 pages
File Size : 45,79 MB
Release : 2002
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780801487903
Throughout the past century, a debate has raged over the thesis of realism and its alternatives. In this volume of original essays, a group of philosophers explores the ongoing controversy.
Author : Nicholas Rescher
Publisher : University of Pittsburgh Pre
Page : 141 pages
File Size : 37,99 MB
Release : 2014-02-06
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 0822970937
An examination of philosophical realism from the standpoint of pragmatic epistemology, Realism and Pragmatic Epistemology addresses the core idea of Rescher's work in epistemology: that functional and pragmatic concerns exert a controlling influence on the conduct of rational inquiry and on the ways in which we can and should regard its products.Pragmatism is widely regarded as a philosophical approach that stands at odds with realism, but Rescher takes a very different approach. He views pragmatism as a realistic position that can be developed from a pragmatic point of view, and utilizes a number of case studies to augment his position. Throughout, he shows how the pragmatic and purposive setting of our putative knowledge of the real world proves to be crucial for the constituting and also for the constitution of our knowledge.
Author : Sister Mary Verda
Publisher :
Page : 218 pages
File Size : 46,46 MB
Release : 1926
Category : Knowledge, Theory of
ISBN :
Author : Matthew Thompson McClure
Publisher :
Page : 76 pages
File Size : 43,91 MB
Release : 1912
Category : Philosophy, Modern
ISBN :
Author : George Trumbull Ladd
Publisher :
Page : 474 pages
File Size : 21,41 MB
Release : 1891
Category : Philosophy
ISBN :
Author : Kenneth R. Westphal
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 329 pages
File Size : 40,34 MB
Release : 2014-02-24
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 131769970X
This collection of original essays aims to reinvigorate the debate surrounding philosophical realism in relation to philosophy of science, pragmatism, epistemology, and theory of perception. Questions concerning realism are as current and as ancient as philosophy itself; this volume explores relations between different positions designated as ‘realism’ by examining specific cases in point, drawn from a broad range of systematic problems and historical views, from ancient Greek philosophy through the present. The first section examines the context of the project; contributions systematically engage the historical background of philosophical realism, re-examining key works of Aristotle, Descartes, Quine, and others. The following two sections epitomize the central tension within current debates: scientific realism and pragmatism. These contributions address contemporary questions of scientific realism and the reality of the objects of science, and consider whether, how or the extent to which realism and pragmatism are compatible. With an editorial introduction by Kenneth R. Westphal, these fourteen original essays provide wide-ranging, salient insights into the status of realism today.