Making Things Happen

A Theory of Causal Explanation

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Science, Other Sciences, Philosophy & Social Aspects, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy
Cover of the book Making Things Happen by James Woodward, Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: James Woodward ISBN: 9780199882557
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: December 4, 2003
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: James Woodward
ISBN: 9780199882557
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: December 4, 2003
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

In Making Things Happen, James Woodward develops a new and ambitious comprehensive theory of causation and explanation that draws on literature from a variety of disciplines and which applies to a wide variety of claims in science and everyday life. His theory is a manipulationist account, proposing that causal and explanatory relationships are relationships that are potentially exploitable for purposes of manipulation and control. This account has its roots in the commonsense idea that causes are means for bringing about effects; but it also draws on a long tradition of work in experimental design, econometrics, and statistics. Woodward shows how these ideas may be generalized to other areas of science from the social scientific and biomedical contexts for which they were originally designed. He also provides philosophical foundations for the manipulationist approach, drawing out its implications, comparing it with alternative approaches, and defending it from common criticisms. In doing so, he shows how the manipulationist account both illuminates important features of successful causal explanation in the natural and social sciences, and avoids the counterexamples and difficulties that infect alternative approaches, from the deductive-nomological model onwards. Making Things Happen will interest philosophers working in the philosophy of science, the philosophy of social science, and metaphysics, and as well as anyone interested in causation, explanation, and scientific methodology.

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

In Making Things Happen, James Woodward develops a new and ambitious comprehensive theory of causation and explanation that draws on literature from a variety of disciplines and which applies to a wide variety of claims in science and everyday life. His theory is a manipulationist account, proposing that causal and explanatory relationships are relationships that are potentially exploitable for purposes of manipulation and control. This account has its roots in the commonsense idea that causes are means for bringing about effects; but it also draws on a long tradition of work in experimental design, econometrics, and statistics. Woodward shows how these ideas may be generalized to other areas of science from the social scientific and biomedical contexts for which they were originally designed. He also provides philosophical foundations for the manipulationist approach, drawing out its implications, comparing it with alternative approaches, and defending it from common criticisms. In doing so, he shows how the manipulationist account both illuminates important features of successful causal explanation in the natural and social sciences, and avoids the counterexamples and difficulties that infect alternative approaches, from the deductive-nomological model onwards. Making Things Happen will interest philosophers working in the philosophy of science, the philosophy of social science, and metaphysics, and as well as anyone interested in causation, explanation, and scientific methodology.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book Scotland's Books by James Woodward
Cover of the book Litigating War by James Woodward
Cover of the book Observed Brain Dynamics by James Woodward
Cover of the book Cognitive Neuroscience of Aging by James Woodward
Cover of the book Democracy and the News by James Woodward
Cover of the book Best Practices for Teaching Beginnings and Endings in the Psychology Major by James Woodward
Cover of the book New York and Los Angeles by James Woodward
Cover of the book Singleness and the Church by James Woodward
Cover of the book Spinoza on Reason by James Woodward
Cover of the book Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Men by James Woodward
Cover of the book Healthier by James Woodward
Cover of the book The Witches of Pendle by James Woodward
Cover of the book Island of Guanyin by James Woodward
Cover of the book The Clarinet in the Classical Period by James Woodward
Cover of the book Red at Heart by James Woodward
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