Causation and Laws of Nature

by Max Kistler

Overview

This is the first English translation of Causalite´ et Lois de La Nature, and is an important contribution to the theory of causation. Max Kistler reconstructs a unified concept of causation that is general enough to adequately deal with both elementary physical processes, and the macroscopic level of phenomena we encounter in everyday life.

This book will be of great interest to philosophers of science and metaphysics, and also to students and scholars of philosophy of mind where concepts of causation and law play a prominent role.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780415611183
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	10/01/2010
Series:	Routledge Studies in Contemporary Philosophy
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Max Kistler is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne, and member of IHPST (Institut d'Histoire et de philosophie des sciences et des techniques).

Table of Contents

1. What is a Causal Relation? 2. Laws of Nature and Universal Generalisations 3. Applicability Conditions and the Concept of "Strict Law" 4. Consequences 5. The Nomological Theory of Causation and Causal Responsibility 6. Efficacious Properties and the Instantiation of Laws 7. Causal Responsibility and its Applications Conclusion

Editorial Reviews

Praise for the French language edition of Causalité et lois de la nature

‘… it is a pleasure to read Kistler’s book and … its argument is very well developed. It is a remarkable example of the standards of clarity and precision that are achieved in today’s analytical philosophy of science.’

Michael Esfedl, University of Konstanz, Germany: review of French language edition in Dialectica

"… a wonderfully rich book by Max Kistler … not only a skilled writer in the history of philosophy; he also makes important and novel contributions both to the theory of causation and to the philosophy of laws of nature. (…) This book is already packed with good arguments. My impression is that Causalité et lois de la nature is important reading for all philosophers with an interest in laws of nature and causation. I will certainly be on the watch both for the translation of it and for forthcoming work by Max Kistler."

Johannes Persson, Lund University, review in Mind

From the Publisher