Efficient explanations: a powers hypothesis for how the mental causes
This thesis attempts to offer a powers causation solution to the difficulties posed by mental causation. I do so by arguing against what I call “events-pair” analyses of causation. As is known, mental causation seems to raise the problems of overdetermination and the possible exclusion of the mental...
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2023
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| Subjects: |
| _version_ | 1811139855096217600 |
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| author | Nolan, W |
| author2 | Williamson, T |
| author_facet | Williamson, T Nolan, W |
| author_sort | Nolan, W |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | This thesis attempts to offer a powers causation solution to the difficulties posed by mental causation. I do so by arguing against what I call “events-pair” analyses of causation. As is known, mental causation seems to raise the problems of overdetermination and the possible exclusion of the mental cause. Jaegwon Kim presents one possible answer by using his Supervenience Argument to urge reduction, whereas Thomas Kroedel presents another by defending a Lewisian counterfactual condition for causation. I argue that both these views use a common view of causation that depends on the assumption that causation is the relationship between a pair of temporally separated events. Against this assumption, I present and defend a powers view of causation, which can account for both the simultaneity and interruptibility of a causal process. I then apply the powers perspective to mental causation, with the beneficial results that overdetermination no longer poses a threat, double-prevention can be re-analyzed into constituent causal stages, and mental causes can be, without contradiction, one part of the sufficient cause of intentional bodily movement. Overall, I thus present a new powers solution to the difficulties of mental causation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T08:04:07Z |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oxford-uuid:c2d93bfa-a30b-4369-91f6-4146f0c02d4e |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-25T04:12:43Z |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:c2d93bfa-a30b-4369-91f6-4146f0c02d4e2024-07-01T08:56:47ZEfficient explanations: a powers hypothesis for how the mental causesThesishttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_7a1fuuid:c2d93bfa-a30b-4369-91f6-4146f0c02d4ePhilosophy of mindCausationEnglishHyrax Deposit2023Nolan, WWilliamson, TThis thesis attempts to offer a powers causation solution to the difficulties posed by mental causation. I do so by arguing against what I call “events-pair” analyses of causation. As is known, mental causation seems to raise the problems of overdetermination and the possible exclusion of the mental cause. Jaegwon Kim presents one possible answer by using his Supervenience Argument to urge reduction, whereas Thomas Kroedel presents another by defending a Lewisian counterfactual condition for causation. I argue that both these views use a common view of causation that depends on the assumption that causation is the relationship between a pair of temporally separated events. Against this assumption, I present and defend a powers view of causation, which can account for both the simultaneity and interruptibility of a causal process. I then apply the powers perspective to mental causation, with the beneficial results that overdetermination no longer poses a threat, double-prevention can be re-analyzed into constituent causal stages, and mental causes can be, without contradiction, one part of the sufficient cause of intentional bodily movement. Overall, I thus present a new powers solution to the difficulties of mental causation. |
| spellingShingle | Philosophy of mind Causation Nolan, W Efficient explanations: a powers hypothesis for how the mental causes |
| title | Efficient explanations: a powers hypothesis for how the mental causes |
| title_full | Efficient explanations: a powers hypothesis for how the mental causes |
| title_fullStr | Efficient explanations: a powers hypothesis for how the mental causes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Efficient explanations: a powers hypothesis for how the mental causes |
| title_short | Efficient explanations: a powers hypothesis for how the mental causes |
| title_sort | efficient explanations a powers hypothesis for how the mental causes |
| topic | Philosophy of mind Causation |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nolanw efficientexplanationsapowershypothesisforhowthementalcauses |