Causation, Explanation, and the Metaphysics of Aspect

Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Language Arts, Science & Nature, Science, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy
Cover of the book Causation, Explanation, and the Metaphysics of Aspect by Bradford Skow, OUP Oxford
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Bradford Skow ISBN: 9780192561725
Publisher: OUP Oxford Publication: December 6, 2018
Imprint: OUP Oxford Language: English
Author: Bradford Skow
ISBN: 9780192561725
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Publication: December 6, 2018
Imprint: OUP Oxford
Language: English

When you light a match it is the striking of it which causes the lighting; the presence of oxygen in the room is a background condition to the lighting. But in virtue of what is the striking a cause while the presence of oxygen is a background condition? When a fragile glass breaks it manifests a disposition to break when struck; however, not everything that breaks manifests this disposition. So under what conditions does something, in breaking, manifest fragility? After some therapy a man might stop being irascible and he might lose the disposition to become angry at the slightest provocation. If he does then he will have lost the disposition after an "internal" change. Can someone lose, or gain, a disposition merely as a result of a change in its external circumstances? Facts about the structure of society can, it seems, explain other facts. But how do they do it? Are there different kinds of structural explanations? Many things are said to be causes: a rock, when we say that the rock caused the window to break, and an event, when we say that the striking of the window caused its breakage. Which kind of causation - causation by events, or causation by things - is more basic? In Causation, Explanation, and the Metaphysics of Aspect, Bradford Skow defends answers to these questions. His answers rely on a pair of connected distinctions: first is the distinction between acting, or doing something, and not acting; second is the distinction between situations in which an event happens, and situations in which instead something is in some state. The first distinction is used to draw the second: an event happens if and only if something does something.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

When you light a match it is the striking of it which causes the lighting; the presence of oxygen in the room is a background condition to the lighting. But in virtue of what is the striking a cause while the presence of oxygen is a background condition? When a fragile glass breaks it manifests a disposition to break when struck; however, not everything that breaks manifests this disposition. So under what conditions does something, in breaking, manifest fragility? After some therapy a man might stop being irascible and he might lose the disposition to become angry at the slightest provocation. If he does then he will have lost the disposition after an "internal" change. Can someone lose, or gain, a disposition merely as a result of a change in its external circumstances? Facts about the structure of society can, it seems, explain other facts. But how do they do it? Are there different kinds of structural explanations? Many things are said to be causes: a rock, when we say that the rock caused the window to break, and an event, when we say that the striking of the window caused its breakage. Which kind of causation - causation by events, or causation by things - is more basic? In Causation, Explanation, and the Metaphysics of Aspect, Bradford Skow defends answers to these questions. His answers rely on a pair of connected distinctions: first is the distinction between acting, or doing something, and not acting; second is the distinction between situations in which an event happens, and situations in which instead something is in some state. The first distinction is used to draw the second: an event happens if and only if something does something.

More books from OUP Oxford

Cover of the book Kant on Mind, Action, and Ethics by Bradford Skow
Cover of the book The End of the Timeless God by Bradford Skow
Cover of the book How Persistent Low Returns Will Shape Saving and Retirement by Bradford Skow
Cover of the book The Contract of Employment by Bradford Skow
Cover of the book Adam Smith: A Very Short Introduction by Bradford Skow
Cover of the book EU Banking and Insurance Insolvency by Bradford Skow
Cover of the book The Foundations of Behavioral Economic Analysis by Bradford Skow
Cover of the book Panic Disorder: The Facts by Bradford Skow
Cover of the book The Oxford Handbook of Terrorism by Bradford Skow
Cover of the book Prehistory: A Very Short Introduction by Bradford Skow
Cover of the book The Second World War:A Short History by Bradford Skow
Cover of the book International Succession by Bradford Skow
Cover of the book Earth Matters by Bradford Skow
Cover of the book Regime-Building by Bradford Skow
Cover of the book Capacity Mechanisms in the EU Energy Market by Bradford Skow
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy