From Cause to Causation: A Peircean Perspective / Edition 1

by M. Hulswit

Overview

From Cause to Causation presents both a critical analysis of C.S. Peirce's conception of causation, and a novel approach to causation, based upon the semeiotic of Peirce.

The book begins with a review of the history of causation, and with a critical discussion of contemporary theories of the concept of ‘cause'. The author uncovers a number of inadequacies in the received views of causation, and discusses their historical roots. He makes a distinction between "causality", which is the relation between cause and effect, and causation, which is the production of a certain effect. He argues that, by focusing on causality, the contemporary theories fatally neglect the more fundamental problem of causation. The author successively discusses Peirce's theories of final causation, natural classes, semeiotic, and semeiotic causation. Finally, he uses Peirce's semeiotic to develop a new approach to causation, which relates causation to our experience of signs.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781402009761
Publisher:	Springer Netherlands
Publication date:	10/31/2002
Series:	Philosophical Studies Series , #90
Edition description:	2002
Pages:	258
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.36(d)

Table of Contents

1: SOME KEY MOMENTS IN THE HISTORY OF THE CONCEPT OF CAUSATION.- 2: CONTEMPORARY APPROACHES TO CAUSATION.- 3: PEIRCE ON FINAL CAUSATION.- 4: FINAL CAUSES AND NATURAL GLASSES.- 5: THE RIDDLE OF SEMEIOTIC CAUSATION.- 6: A SEMEIOTIC ACCOUNT OF CAUSATION.- Notes.