Causation has always been a central topic in the history of
philosophy. Many theories causation have been advanced, but not one
has approached anything like general acceptance. Yet the concept of
causation is prevalent in many areas of contemporary philosophy: there
are the causal theories of language, of action, of personal identity,
of knowledge, of perception, of scientific explanation, and of
reference. If causation is doing all this philosophical work, it seems
essential to strive for an intelligible account of what a 'cause'
actually is. One obvious place to start is Hume's analysis of
causation, which is generally thought to be the most significant and
influential single contribution to the topic. But despite the widely
recognized importance of his analysis, many opposing interpretations
surround his causal theory. There are some commentators who believe
that his theory is a version of realism and many others who argue that
it is a version of anti-realism. There is considerable textual
evidence for, and also against, each interpretation. Angela Coventry
develops a more conciliatory approach. She argues that Hume's causal
theory is best understood as 'quasi-realist' - an intermediate
position between realism and anti-realism. This makes sense of some
seemingly contradictory passages in Hume's work and also provides an
answer to a major objection which is commonly thought to devastate his
causal theory. Coventry then goes on to outline a general,
topic-independent, conception of quasi-realism as distinct from
realistm and anti-realism that allows it to stand as a consistent
third alternative.
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Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9781847142221
Publisert
2015
Utgave
1. utgave
Utgiver
Bloomsbury UK
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter