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Causing Actions Paul M. Pietroski (University of Maryland)

Causing Actions By Paul M. Pietroski (University of Maryland)

Causing Actions by Paul M. Pietroski (University of Maryland)


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Summary

Presents a philosophical theory of actions and their mental causes. This work also argues that thoughts and deeds are in fact distinct from, though dependent on, underlying biochemical processes within persons.

Causing Actions Summary

Causing Actions by Paul M. Pietroski (University of Maryland)

Thoughts often cause deeds. Actions are done for reasons. But do actions and their mental causes also have descriptions that do not involve reasons? Various considerations can make it seem that human mental events must be biochemical events. Paul Pietroski, however, defends a non-Cartesian form of dualism. Actions and their rationalizing causes belong to an autonomous mental domain-although this autonomy is compatible with the supervenience of the mental on the non-mental. On this view, some bodily motions have rationalizing causes distinct from any biochemical causes; Pietroski argues that this is not an objectionable form of overdetermination. Central to his account is his proposed treatment of ceteris paribus laws, their role in explanation, and how such laws are related to singular causal claims. Pietroski also connects these issues to semantic questions arising from discussions of action reports and belief ascriptions. All philosophers interested in mind or causation will be intrigued by his new theory.

About Paul M. Pietroski (University of Maryland)

Paul M. Pietroski is Associate Professor of Linguistics and Philosophy at the University of Maryland. He was previously Associate Professor at McGill University.

Table of Contents

Introduction; 1. Actions as Inner Causes; 2. Fregean Innocence; 3. From Explanation to Causation; 4. Other Things Being Equal; 5. Personal Dualism; 6. Modal Concerns; 7. Natural Causes; Appendix: The Semantic Wages of Neuralism; References, Index

Additional information

NLS9780199252763
9780199252763
0199252769
Causing Actions by Paul M. Pietroski (University of Maryland)
New
Paperback
Oxford University Press
2002-06-06
284
N/A
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