Free Action and Interventionist Theories of Causality
I shall discuss the relationship between the interventionist theory of causation and free action. Interventionist accounts of causation define causation on the basis of “intervention”. These theories can be reductive, if they explain causes on the basis of free human interventions, or non-reductive,...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | deu |
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Mimesis Edizioni, Milano
2019-12-01
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| Series: | Rivista Internazionale di Filosofia e Psicologia |
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| Online Access: | https://www.rifp.it/ojs/index.php/rifp/article/view/rifp.2019.0024/972 |
| _version_ | 1818526142327422976 |
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| author | Gaetano Licata |
| author_facet | Gaetano Licata |
| author_sort | Gaetano Licata |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | I shall discuss the relationship between the interventionist theory of causation and free action. Interventionist accounts of causation define causation on the basis of “intervention”. These theories can be reductive, if they explain causes on the basis of free human interventions, or non-reductive, if they consider causes and interventions as two inter-defined concepts, where interventions are regarded as explicitly not human. I will show that the dilemma between reductive and non-reductive interventionist theories of causality can be overcome in favour of reductive accounts, with regard to what causation is in an anthropological sense, and with regard to the causal explanation of phenomena. Non-reductive accounts, explaining causes based on interventions and defining interventions as special causes (without any reference to human actions) create a dangerous explanatory circularity between cause and intervention and are not able to give a general and explanatory idea of causation. Reductive interventionist theories, by contrast, do not suffer from this circularity. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T06:18:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e37e70933d904f309ed1e701c976f6c1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2039-4667 2239-2629 |
| language | deu |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T06:18:49Z |
| publishDate | 2019-12-01 |
| publisher | Mimesis Edizioni, Milano |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Rivista Internazionale di Filosofia e Psicologia |
| spelling | doaj.art-e37e70933d904f309ed1e701c976f6c12022-12-22T01:17:54ZdeuMimesis Edizioni, MilanoRivista Internazionale di Filosofia e Psicologia2039-46672239-26292019-12-0110328229410.4453/rifp.2019.0024Free Action and Interventionist Theories of CausalityGaetano LicataI shall discuss the relationship between the interventionist theory of causation and free action. Interventionist accounts of causation define causation on the basis of “intervention”. These theories can be reductive, if they explain causes on the basis of free human interventions, or non-reductive, if they consider causes and interventions as two inter-defined concepts, where interventions are regarded as explicitly not human. I will show that the dilemma between reductive and non-reductive interventionist theories of causality can be overcome in favour of reductive accounts, with regard to what causation is in an anthropological sense, and with regard to the causal explanation of phenomena. Non-reductive accounts, explaining causes based on interventions and defining interventions as special causes (without any reference to human actions) create a dangerous explanatory circularity between cause and intervention and are not able to give a general and explanatory idea of causation. Reductive interventionist theories, by contrast, do not suffer from this circularity.https://www.rifp.it/ojs/index.php/rifp/article/view/rifp.2019.0024/972causationfree actionexperimentinterventionist theory of causalityanthropomorphism |
| spellingShingle | Gaetano Licata Free Action and Interventionist Theories of Causality Rivista Internazionale di Filosofia e Psicologia causation free action experiment interventionist theory of causality anthropomorphism |
| title | Free Action and Interventionist Theories of Causality |
| title_full | Free Action and Interventionist Theories of Causality |
| title_fullStr | Free Action and Interventionist Theories of Causality |
| title_full_unstemmed | Free Action and Interventionist Theories of Causality |
| title_short | Free Action and Interventionist Theories of Causality |
| title_sort | free action and interventionist theories of causality |
| topic | causation free action experiment interventionist theory of causality anthropomorphism |
| url | https://www.rifp.it/ojs/index.php/rifp/article/view/rifp.2019.0024/972 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT gaetanolicata freeactionandinterventionisttheoriesofcausality |