ABSTRACT
What is the nature of causation? How is causation linked with explanation? And can there be an adequate theory of explanation? These questions and many others are addressed in this unified and rigorous examination of the philosophical problems surrounding causation, laws and explanation. Part 1 of this book explores Hume's views on causation, theories of singular causation, and counterfactual and mechanistic approaches. Part 2 considers the regularity view of laws and laws as relations among universals, as well as recent alternative approaches to laws. Part 3 examines the issues arising from deductive-nomological explanation, statistical explanation, the explanation of laws and the metaphysics of explanation. Accessible to readers of all levels, this book provides an excellent introduction to one of the most enduring problems of philosophy.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
chapter |16 pages
Introduction
part |117 pages
Causation
chapter |38 pages
Hume on causation
chapter |23 pages
Regularities and singular causation
chapter |26 pages
Causation and counterfactuals
chapter |27 pages
Causation and mechanism
part |77 pages
Laws of nature
chapter |22 pages
The regularity view of laws
chapter |19 pages
Laws as relations among universals
chapter |33 pages
Alternative approaches to laws
part |81 pages
Explanation