Mechanisms, Causes, and the Layered Model of the World

Stuart Glennan

doi:10.1111/j.1933-1592.2010.00375.x

Mechanisms, Causes, and the Layered Model of the World

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Most philosophical accounts of causation take causal relations to obtain between individuals and events in virtue of nomological relations between properties of these individuals and events. Such views fail to take into account the consequences of the fact that in general the properties of individuals and events will depend upon mechanisms that realize those properties. In this paper I attempt to rectify this failure, and in so doing to provide an account of the causal relevance of higher-level properties. I do this by critiquing one prominent model of higher-level properties – Kim’s functional model of reduction – and contrasting it with a mechanistic approach to higher-level properties and causation.

Original language	American English
Journal	Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS
Volume	81
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1933-1592.2010.00375.x
State	Published - Jan 1 2010

Keywords

Jaegwon Kim
causation
layered model
mechanisms
philosophy

Disciplines

Philosophy
Philosophy of Science

Access to Document

10.1111/j.1933-1592.2010.00375.xLicense: Unspecified

Mechanisms Causes and the Layered Model of the WorldFinal published version, 459 KBLicense: Unspecified

Cite this

@article{247658d2f66a4834808f4c647d5145ce,

title = "Mechanisms, Causes, and the Layered Model of the World",

abstract = " Most philosophical accounts of causation take causal relations to obtain between individuals and events in virtue of nomological relations between properties of these individuals and events. Such views fail to take into account the consequences of the fact that in general the properties of individuals and events will depend upon mechanisms that realize those properties. In this paper I attempt to rectify this failure, and in so doing to provide an account of the causal relevance of higher-level properties. I do this by critiquing one prominent model of higher-level properties – Kim{\textquoteright}s functional model of reduction – and contrasting it with a mechanistic approach to higher-level properties and causation.",

keywords = "Jaegwon Kim, causation, layered model, mechanisms, philosophy",

author = "Stuart Glennan",

year = "2010",

month = jan,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1111/j.1933-1592.2010.00375.x",

language = "American English",

volume = "81",

journal = "Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS",

number = "2",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Mechanisms, Causes, and the Layered Model of the World

AU - Glennan, Stuart

PY - 2010/1/1

Y1 - 2010/1/1

N2 - Most philosophical accounts of causation take causal relations to obtain between individuals and events in virtue of nomological relations between properties of these individuals and events. Such views fail to take into account the consequences of the fact that in general the properties of individuals and events will depend upon mechanisms that realize those properties. In this paper I attempt to rectify this failure, and in so doing to provide an account of the causal relevance of higher-level properties. I do this by critiquing one prominent model of higher-level properties – Kim’s functional model of reduction – and contrasting it with a mechanistic approach to higher-level properties and causation.

AB - Most philosophical accounts of causation take causal relations to obtain between individuals and events in virtue of nomological relations between properties of these individuals and events. Such views fail to take into account the consequences of the fact that in general the properties of individuals and events will depend upon mechanisms that realize those properties. In this paper I attempt to rectify this failure, and in so doing to provide an account of the causal relevance of higher-level properties. I do this by critiquing one prominent model of higher-level properties – Kim’s functional model of reduction – and contrasting it with a mechanistic approach to higher-level properties and causation.

KW - Jaegwon Kim

KW - causation

KW - layered model

KW - mechanisms

KW - philosophy

UR - https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/facsch_papers/73

U2 - 10.1111/j.1933-1592.2010.00375.x

DO - 10.1111/j.1933-1592.2010.00375.x

M3 - Article

VL - 81

JO - Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

JF - Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

IS - 2

ER -

Mechanisms, Causes, and the Layered Model of the World

Abstract

Keywords

Disciplines

Access to Document

Other files and links

Cite this