Cause and Chance

Philosophers have long been fascinated by the connection between cause and effect: are 'causes' things we can experience, or are they concepts provided by our minds? The study of causation goes back to Aristotle, but resurged with David Hume and Immanuel Kant, and is now one of the most important topics in metaphysics. Most of the recent work done in this area has attempted to place causation in a deterministic, scientific, worldview. But what about the unpredictable and chancey world we actually live in: can one theory of causation cover all instances of cause and effect?

Cause and Chance: Causation in an Indeterministic World is a collection of specially written papers by world-class metaphysicians. Its focus is the problem facing the 'reductionist' approach to causation: the attempt to cover all types of causation, deterministic and indeterministic, with one basic theory.

Contributors: Stephen Barker, Helen Beebee, Phil Dowe, Dorothy Edgington, Doug Ehring, Chris Hitchcock, Igal Kwart, Paul Noordhof, Murali Ramachandran and Michael Tooley.

List of contents

Dorothy Edgington, Phil Dowe, Helen Beebee, Douglas Ehring, Michael Tooley, Steve Barker, Chris Hitchcock,
M. Ramachandran, Igal Kvart, Paul Noordhof

About the author

Dowe, Phil; Noordhof, Paul

Summary

Cause and Chance: Causation in an Indeterministic World is a collection of specially written papers by world-class metaphysicians. Its focus are the problems facing the 'reductionist' approach to causation.

Additional text

' ... important new work on a complex and contentious topic' - The Philosophical Quarterly

Product details

• Authors: Phil Dowe, Paul Noordhof
• Assisted by: Phil Dowe (Editor), Paul Noordhof (Editor), the editors (Introduction)
• Publisher: Routledge Academic
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 01.01.2008
• EAN: 9780415408486
• ISBN: 978-0-415-40848-6
• No. of pages: 220
• Series: International Library of Philosophy; International Library of Philo; International Library of Philosophy
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Philosophy > General, dictionaries; Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Natural sciences (general); Non-fiction book > Philosophy, religion > Philosophy: general, reference works