Realism Regained An Exact Theory of Causation, Teleology, and the Mind

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ISBN: 9780195135671 | 0195135679
Cover: Hardcover
Copyright: 11/16/2000

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In this wide-ranging philosophical work, Koons takes on two powerful dogmas--anti-realism and materialism. In doing so, Koons develops an elegant metaphysical system that accounts for such phenomena as information, mental representation, our knowledge of logic, mathematics and science, the structure of spacetime, the identity of physical objects, and the objectivity of values and moral norms.

Introduction

(18)

A Comprehensive Realism

(2)

Metaphysical Method

(1)

An Alternative to Both Physicalism and Mysterianism

(1)

Causal Internalism

(3)

The Ontology of Causation

(1)

The Need for an Indeterministic Model

(1)

A Causal-Probabilistic Theory of Information

(1)

Why an Exact Theory?

(1)

The Big Picture: Preview of Part II

(3)

A Glossary of Symbols

(5)

I A Theory of Causation and Information

Toward a Unified Theory of Causation

(12)

The Nomological/Deductive Tradition

(1)

Theories of Probabilistic Causation

(1)

Davidson and Event-Tokens

(1)

Lewis's Counterfactual Account

(2)

Mackie's INUS Conditions

(1)

Yablo's Theory

(1)

Branching-Time Models

(1)

Artificial Intelligence and Models of Causal Inference

(1)

Tooley and Cartwright

(1)

Process and Linkage Theories

(1)

Mellor's Theory

(1)

Accounts of Causal Asymmetry

(1)

Distinctive Features of My Theory

(2)

Situation Theory and Causation

(14)

The Need for Situation Theory

(6)

Situation Mereology and Causation

(2)

A Situation-Theoretic Logic of Causation

(2)

The Transitivity of INUS Causation

(4)

A Deterministic Model

(32)

Desiderata

(2)

Causation and Determinism

(2)

Basic Ontology

(6)

Constraints and Causation

(1)

Defining Causal Explanation

(3)

Singular Causation

(2)

Empiricism and Modality

(1)

Causal Relevance

(4)

Piecemeal Causation

(1)

Desirable Features of the Theory

(4)

Applying the Theory of Some Examples

(6)

Verifying the Axioms of Chapter 3

(2)

An Indeterministic Model

(14)

Beyond Determinism

(1)

Why and Indeterministic Account Is Difficult

(1)

If Not Determinism, Then What?

(2)

Causation and Causal Explanation

(1)

Desirable Features of the Theory

(5)

Example Applications

(4)

A Probabilistic Model of Causation

(8)

Models

(1)

Token Causation

(1)

Weighted Causal Constraints on types

(1)

Probabilistic Explanation

(1)

Examples

(4)

Humphreys's Explanation

(2)

Higher-Order Causation: Modal Facts as Causes

(8)

A Problem with Higher-Order Causation

(2)

Modal Facts as Causes

101

(1)

The Causal Relevance of the Excluded Middle

102

(1)

First-Order Teleological Causation

103

(2)

Higher-Order Teleological Causation

105

(2)

The Universality of Causation

107

(14)

A Modal Mereology of Situations

108

(1)

Principles of Causation

109

(1)

The University of Causation

109

(1)

The Existence of an Uncaused First Cause

110

(3)

The Well-Foundedness of Causation

113

(1)

Objections

113

(8)

A Theory of Information and Misinformation

121

(8)

Introduction

121

(1)

The Historical (Retrospective) Strategy

122

(2)

Two New Strategies

124

(3)

Information as the Basis of Knowledge

127

(2)

A Look Back, and Ahead

129

(6)

The Causal Relation

129

(1)

Against Determinism

129

(1)

Spacetime as Constrained by Causation, Not Vice Versa

130

(5)

II Applications to Metaphysics, Epistemology, and Ethics

An Overview

135

(6)

Teleology as Higher-Order Causation

135

(1)

Teleosemantics

136

(1)

The Link between Teleosemantics and Epistemology

137

(1)

Causal/Teleological Accounts of Knowledge

137

(1)

Mental Causation and Qualia

138

(1)

Teleological Accounts of Ethics

138

(1)

Enduring Substances as Logical Constructions

139

(2)

Teleology as Higher-Order Causation

141

(14)

Three Definitions of Teleology

141

(8)

Darwin: Real or Only Apparent Functionality?

149

(1)

Retrospective and Non-Retrospective Accounts

150

(1)

Extrinsic Functions and Extended Phenotype

151

(1)

Our Knowledge of Teleology

152

(1)

Teleological Natural Kinds

153

(2)

Causal Theories of Mental Content

155

(6)

Millikan

155

(1)

Dretske

156

(2)

Fodor's Critique of Teleological Semantics

158

(3)

Teleosemantics of Mental Representations

161

(8)

An Overview of Representational States

161

(2)

Pre-cognitive Representations

163

(3)

Cognitive States: Opinions and Intentions

166

(1)

Mental Representation and Language

167

(1)

The Narrowness of Mental Content

168

(1)

Teleosemantics and the Liar Paradox

168

(1)

A Causal Theory of Logical and Mathematical Cognition

169

(28)

The Need for a Causal Theory

169

(1)

Logico-Modal Facts as Causes

170

(2)

Knowing How to Infer Correctly

172

(1)

Is Logic Factual?

173

(11)

Logical and Physical Necessity

184

(1)

From Logic to Arithmetic

185

(5)

Set Theory and Other Branches of Mathematics

190

(2)

Alternatives to Mathematical Realism

192

(2)

Why the Human Mind Is Not a turing Machine

194

(3)

A Teleological Theory of the Mind

197

(20)

The Irony of Non-Reductive Materialism

197

(1)

Supervenience and Type and Token Identity

198

(3)

Downward Causation versus Epiphenomenalism

201

(4)

Two Further Problems of Mental Causation

205

(1)

Qualia

206

(1)

Problem Cases

207

(6)

The Correlation of Qualia and Physiology

213

(1)

Free Will

213

(4)

Teleological Reliabilism

217

(24)

Reliabilism: The Reference Class Problem

217

(1)

Grue, Bleen, and the New Riddle of Induction

218

(2)

Curve-Fitting: The Problem of Mathematical Simplicity

220

(1)

The Reliability of Simplicity as a Criterion of Truth

221

(1)

The Incompatibility of Materialism and Scientific Realism

222

(10)

When Does Bayesian Learning Constitute Knowledge?

232

(2)

Objective Chance and Empiricism

234

(7)

Enduring Substances and Their Identities

241

(16)

Substances as Logical Constructions

241

(3)

Change and the Johnston Paradox

244

(1)

Zeno's Paradox and the Instant of Change

245

(1)

Hard Cases for Substance Identity

245

(4)

Quantum Reality and the Foundations of Materialism

249

(8)

Eudaemonism and the Objective of Value

257

(14)

Objectified Subjectivity: A Dead End

257

(3)

Eudaemonia

260

(1)

The Connection between Eudaemonia and Motivation

260

(3)

Nature and Nurture

263

(1)

The Unity and Universality of Good

263

(2)

Indeterminacy and Objectivity

265

(1)

The Semantics and Epistemology of Ethics

266

(1)

Eudaemonism versus Evolutionary Ethics

267

(1)

Moore and the Indefinability of Good

268

(3)

Moral Theory as the Teleology of Character

271

(8)

Virtue as Both Means and End

271

(1)

Eudaemonism versus Egoism

271

(1)

Is and Ought

272

(1)

Sociobiology, Game Theory, and Species Relativity

273

(1)

Elements of a Teleo-Ethological Morality

274

(1)

Politics and the Natural Law

274

(2)

Justice toward Future Generations

276

(1)

Kierkegaard and the Teleological Suspension of the Ethical

277

(2)

A Coherent Realism Is a Comprehensive Realism

279

(10)

The Four Waves of Anti-Realism

279

(2)

A Prolegomenon to Any Future Critique of Metaphysics

281

(1)

Causalism, Yes! Materialism, No!

282

(3)

Anti-Realist Obscurantism

285

(1)

Is the Theory Naturalistic?

286

(3)

A Partiality, Modality, and Conditions

289

(22)

A.1 Partial Propositional Logics

289

(4)

A.2 Partial Modal Logics

293

(4)

A.3 Partial Conditional Logics

297

(6)

A.4 Partiality and Quantificational Logic

303

(6)

A.5 First-Order Quantification over Situation-Types

309

(2)

B A Causal Calculus

311

(18)

B.1 Causation and Projectible Statistics

311

(2)

B.2 Some Other Well-Known Puzzles

313

(1)

B.3 Screening Off

314

(2)

B.4 Conditions on Hyperfinite Probability Functions

316

(4)

B.5 Examples

320

(3)

B.6 Abduction and Induction

323

(1)

B.7 Proofs of Theorems B.2 through B.4

324

(5)

Bibliography

329

(12)

Index

341

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Realism Regained An Exact Theory of Causation, Teleology, and the Mind

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

FREE SHIPPING

Rent More, Save More! Use code: BBRENTAL

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Realism Regained An Exact Theory of Causation, Teleology, and the Mind

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

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