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List of contents
Preface William C. Wimsatt
1. Introduction: Mechanisms and Mechanical Philosophies Stuart Glennan and Phyllis Illari
Part 1: Historical Perspectives on Mechanisms
2. Mechanisms: Ancient Sources Tiberiu Popa
3. From the Mechanical Philosophy to Early Modern Mechanisms Sophie Roux
4. The Origins of the Reaction Mechanism William Goodwin
5. Mechanism, Organicism and Vitalism Garland E. Allen
6. Mechanisms and the Mental Marcin Milkowski
Part 2: The Nature of Mechanisms
7. Varieties of Mechanisms Stuart Glennan and Phyllis Illari
8. Mechanisms, Phenomena, and Functions Justin Garson
9. The Components and Boundaries of Mechanisms Marie I. Kaiser
10. Mechanisms and the Metaphysics of Causation Lucas Matthews and James Tabery
11. Mechanisms, Counterfactuals and Laws Stavros Ioannidis and Stathis Psillos
12. What Would Hume Say? Regularities, Laws, and Mechanisms Holly Anderson
13. Probability and Chance in Mechanisms Marshall Abrams
14. Mechanistic Levels, Reduction and Emergence Mark Povich and Carl F. Craver
15. Mechanisms and Natural Kinds Emma Tobin
Part 3: Mechanisms and the Philosophy of Science
16. Mechanistic Explanation and its Limits Marta Halina
17. Models of Mechanisms John Matthewson
18. Explaining Visually: Mechanism Diagrams Adele Abrahamsen, Benjamin Sheredos, and William Bechtel
19. Strategies for Discovering Mechanisms Lindley Darden
20. Mechanisms and Dynamical Systems David Michael Kaplan
Part 4: Disciplinary Perspectives on Mechanisms
21. Mechanisms in Physics Meinard Kuhlmann
22. Mechanisms in Evolutionary Biology Lane DesAutels
23. Mechanisms in Molecular Biology Tudor M. Baetu
24. Mechanisms and Biomedicine Brendan Clarke and Federica Russo
25. Developmental Mechanisms Alan C. Love
26. Mechanisms in Ecology Viorel Pâslaru
27. Systems Biology and Mechanistic Explanation Ingo Brigandt, Sara Green, and Maureen A. O’Malley
28. Mechanistic Explanation in Neuroscience Catherine Stinson and Jacqueline Sullivan
29. Mechanisms in Cognitive Science Carlos Zednik
30. Social Mechanisms Petri Ylikoski
31. Disaggregating Historical Explanation: The Move to Social Mechanisms Daniel Little
32. Mechanisms in Economics Caterina Marchionni
33. Computational Mechanisms Gualtiero Piccinini
34. Mechanisms and Engineering Science Dingmar van Eck.
Index
About the author
Stuart Glennan is the Harry T. Ice Professor of Philosophy and Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Butler University, USA.
Phyllis Illari is Senior Lecturer in Philosophy of Science in the Science and Technology Studies Department at University College London, UK.
Summary
An outstanding reference source to the key topics, problems and debates in this exciting subject and is the first collection of its kind. Essential reading for students and researchers in philosophy of science, the Handbook will also be of interest to those in related fields such as metaphysics, philosophy of psychology and history of science.
Additional text
"... [A]n excellent guide to mechanism for newly interested readers. There is abundant material for a newcomer, and it covers a nearly exhaustive array of relevant topics… I highly recommend it as both a primer for newcomers to mechanism and for those already familiar with the framework." - Russell Meyer, Philosophical Psychology
"This terrific state-of-the-art volume provides a very thorough overview of the history of thinking about mechanisms, methodological and ontological issues surrounding the notion, and the role of mechanisms and mechanistic understanding in many areas of science. It will be invaluable for anyone with an interest in this topic." - James Woodward, University of Pittsburgh, USA
"These days philosophers are sure to encounter the notion of mechanism in more discussions of science than ever before. But mechanistic philosophy is as broad as it is varied, so a reliable guide is much needed. Assembled and curated with care, erudition, and excitement, this volume shows off the depth and breadth of the ways in which mechanisms figure in science, metaphysics, epistemology, and history of philosophy." - Anna Alexandrova, University of Cambridge, UK
"Glennan and Illari have put together a definitive overview of the many ways in which paying attention to mechanisms can illuminate scientific practice. I would recommend it to anyone wanting a point of entry into the flourishing field of mechanistic philosophy of science." - Jon Williamson, University of Kent, UK
