Philip Clayton and Paul Davies (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199544318
- eISBN:
- 9780191701351
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199544318.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology, Philosophy of Religion
Much of the modern period was dominated by a ‘reductionist’ theory of science. On this view, to explain any event in the world is to reduce it down to fundamental particles, laws, and forces. In ...
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Much of the modern period was dominated by a ‘reductionist’ theory of science. On this view, to explain any event in the world is to reduce it down to fundamental particles, laws, and forces. In recent years reductionism has been dramatically challenged by a radically new paradigm called ‘emergence’. According to this new theory, natural history reveals the continuous emergence of novel phenomena: new structures and new organisms with new causal powers. Consciousness is yet one more emergent level in the natural hierarchy. Many theologians and religious scholars believe that this new paradigm may offer new insights into the nature of God and God's relation to the world. This volume introduces emergence theory, outlines the major arguments in its defence, and summarizes the most powerful objections against it.Less
Much of the modern period was dominated by a ‘reductionist’ theory of science. On this view, to explain any event in the world is to reduce it down to fundamental particles, laws, and forces. In recent years reductionism has been dramatically challenged by a radically new paradigm called ‘emergence’. According to this new theory, natural history reveals the continuous emergence of novel phenomena: new structures and new organisms with new causal powers. Consciousness is yet one more emergent level in the natural hierarchy. Many theologians and religious scholars believe that this new paradigm may offer new insights into the nature of God and God's relation to the world. This volume introduces emergence theory, outlines the major arguments in its defence, and summarizes the most powerful objections against it.
Robert W. Batterman
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195146479
- eISBN:
- 9780199833078
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195146476.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Science
This book focuses on a form of reasoning in science that I call “asymptotic reasoning.” At base, this type of reasoning involves methods that eliminate details and, in some sense, precision. ...
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This book focuses on a form of reasoning in science that I call “asymptotic reasoning.” At base, this type of reasoning involves methods that eliminate details and, in some sense, precision. Asymptotic reasoning has received systematic treatment in physics and applied mathematics, but virtually no attention has been paid to it by philosophers of science. I argue that once one understands the role played by asymptotic reasoning in explanatory arguments of scientists, our philosophical conceptions of explanation, reduction, and emergence require significant modification.Less
This book focuses on a form of reasoning in science that I call “asymptotic reasoning.” At base, this type of reasoning involves methods that eliminate details and, in some sense, precision. Asymptotic reasoning has received systematic treatment in physics and applied mathematics, but virtually no attention has been paid to it by philosophers of science. I argue that once one understands the role played by asymptotic reasoning in explanatory arguments of scientists, our philosophical conceptions of explanation, reduction, and emergence require significant modification.
Timothy O'Connor
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195153743
- eISBN:
- 9780199867080
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019515374X.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Metaphysics/Epistemology
PERSONS AND CAUSES investigates the nature of freedom of action, or ‘metaphysical’ freedom, which is generally supposed to be a necessary condition on moral responsibility. The author develops a ...
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PERSONS AND CAUSES investigates the nature of freedom of action, or ‘metaphysical’ freedom, which is generally supposed to be a necessary condition on moral responsibility. The author develops a version of the Consequence Argument for the incompatibility of freedom with causal determinism. The bulk of the work is then devoted to giving a philosophical analysis of what must be true for human agents to act freely. He defends the coherence of the notion of agent causation, a metaphysically primitive form of causality uniquely exercised by persons, alternately drawing upon and criticizing earlier versions of the agent‐causationist account (particularly, Reid, Taylor, and Chisholm). He then provides an original account of the way reasons can explain agent‐causal activity—an account that gives a prominent place to intentions‐in‐action whose contents refer to the reason that explains the action. Finally, the author considers the objection that his account conflicts with the requirements of metaphysical Naturalism. He argues that insofar as this thesis can be made clear and is well motivated, it is consistent with the present account, given the possibility that metaphysically primitive causal capacities might emerge from fundamental physical capacities organized within certain complex systems.Less
PERSONS AND CAUSES investigates the nature of freedom of action, or ‘metaphysical’ freedom, which is generally supposed to be a necessary condition on moral responsibility. The author develops a version of the Consequence Argument for the incompatibility of freedom with causal determinism. The bulk of the work is then devoted to giving a philosophical analysis of what must be true for human agents to act freely. He defends the coherence of the notion of agent causation, a metaphysically primitive form of causality uniquely exercised by persons, alternately drawing upon and criticizing earlier versions of the agent‐causationist account (particularly, Reid, Taylor, and Chisholm). He then provides an original account of the way reasons can explain agent‐causal activity—an account that gives a prominent place to intentions‐in‐action whose contents refer to the reason that explains the action. Finally, the author considers the objection that his account conflicts with the requirements of metaphysical Naturalism. He argues that insofar as this thesis can be made clear and is well motivated, it is consistent with the present account, given the possibility that metaphysically primitive causal capacities might emerge from fundamental physical capacities organized within certain complex systems.
Jaegwon Kim
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199585878
- eISBN:
- 9780191595349
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199585878.003.0005
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind, Metaphysics/Epistemology
“ ‘Supervenient and Yet Not Deducible’: Is There a Coherent Concept of Ontological Emergence?” raises what seems like a deep and fundamental difficulty with the concept of emergence. It is common to ...
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“ ‘Supervenient and Yet Not Deducible’: Is There a Coherent Concept of Ontological Emergence?” raises what seems like a deep and fundamental difficulty with the concept of emergence. It is common to distinguish ontological (or metaphysical) emergence from epistemological emergence. A property is epistemologically emergent when it is in some sense surprising and unexpected, and not predictable from knowledge of its basal conditions. In contrast, a property is ontologically emergent when it is an objectively novel phenomenon, over and beyond the base‐level conditions from which it arises. Early British emergentists, most notably C.D. Broad, characterized emergent properties as those that are supervenient on their basal conditions and yet not deducible from them. This conception of emergence is widely shared by both the friends and critics of emergentism. This paper asks how deducibility, or nondeducibility, is to be understood, and reaches the provisional conclusion that an objective, nonepistemic construal of deducibility amounts to implication, and thus to supervenience. This would render the classic characterization of emergence incoherent, or worse, for “supervenient and yet not deducible” threatens to turn into “supervenient and yet not supervenient.”Less
“ ‘Supervenient and Yet Not Deducible’: Is There a Coherent Concept of Ontological Emergence?” raises what seems like a deep and fundamental difficulty with the concept of emergence. It is common to distinguish ontological (or metaphysical) emergence from epistemological emergence. A property is epistemologically emergent when it is in some sense surprising and unexpected, and not predictable from knowledge of its basal conditions. In contrast, a property is ontologically emergent when it is an objectively novel phenomenon, over and beyond the base‐level conditions from which it arises. Early British emergentists, most notably C.D. Broad, characterized emergent properties as those that are supervenient on their basal conditions and yet not deducible from them. This conception of emergence is widely shared by both the friends and critics of emergentism. This paper asks how deducibility, or nondeducibility, is to be understood, and reaches the provisional conclusion that an objective, nonepistemic construal of deducibility amounts to implication, and thus to supervenience. This would render the classic characterization of emergence incoherent, or worse, for “supervenient and yet not deducible” threatens to turn into “supervenient and yet not supervenient.”
Gloria L. Schaab
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195329124
- eISBN:
- 9780199785711
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195329124.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
Chapter 2 explores the epic of an evolving universe in order to understand the entities, structures, and processes that disclose the nature, attributes, and purposes of its Creator. This exploration ...
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Chapter 2 explores the epic of an evolving universe in order to understand the entities, structures, and processes that disclose the nature, attributes, and purposes of its Creator. This exploration investigates insights regarding the origin of the cosmos and engages scientific theories that challenge classical conceptions of the God‐world relationship. It focuses on Darwinian and neo‐Darwinian theories that suggest an ongoing creativity immanent in the cosmos itself. It probes the interaction of law and chance that suggests freedom and autonomy inherent in the evolving cosmos and that raises questions concerning the operation of divine omnipotence and omniscience in relation to cosmic events. Arriving at the conclusion that such cosmic freedom and autonomy implies an intrinsic measure of risk, pain, suffering, and even death for its creatures and its Creator, this exploration finds itself in an inexorable movement toward the inference of the suffering of God in, with, and under the suffering of the cosmos.Less
Chapter 2 explores the epic of an evolving universe in order to understand the entities, structures, and processes that disclose the nature, attributes, and purposes of its Creator. This exploration investigates insights regarding the origin of the cosmos and engages scientific theories that challenge classical conceptions of the God‐world relationship. It focuses on Darwinian and neo‐Darwinian theories that suggest an ongoing creativity immanent in the cosmos itself. It probes the interaction of law and chance that suggests freedom and autonomy inherent in the evolving cosmos and that raises questions concerning the operation of divine omnipotence and omniscience in relation to cosmic events. Arriving at the conclusion that such cosmic freedom and autonomy implies an intrinsic measure of risk, pain, suffering, and even death for its creatures and its Creator, this exploration finds itself in an inexorable movement toward the inference of the suffering of God in, with, and under the suffering of the cosmos.
William Bain
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- April 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780199260263
- eISBN:
- 9780191600975
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199260265.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
The idea of trusteeship in international society originates in late 18th century British India. The purpose of this chapter is to examine the emergence of trusteeship as a justification of political ...
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The idea of trusteeship in international society originates in late 18th century British India. The purpose of this chapter is to examine the emergence of trusteeship as a justification of political power in territories administered by the East India Company. The chapter has five sections: From Merchant to Sovereign in British India; The Claim to Rule; The Relations of Ruler and Subject; The Purpose of the Office of Government; and Providing Protection, Directing Improvement.Less
The idea of trusteeship in international society originates in late 18th century British India. The purpose of this chapter is to examine the emergence of trusteeship as a justification of political power in territories administered by the East India Company. The chapter has five sections: From Merchant to Sovereign in British India; The Claim to Rule; The Relations of Ruler and Subject; The Purpose of the Office of Government; and Providing Protection, Directing Improvement.
Ira Katznelson
- Published in print:
- 1993
- Published Online:
- January 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780198279242
- eISBN:
- 9780191601910
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198279248.003.0004
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
The previous chapter showed that neither David Harvey nor Manuel Castells in the early 1980s tackled the limitations of Marxist urban studies persuasively, each in his own way abandoning the project ...
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The previous chapter showed that neither David Harvey nor Manuel Castells in the early 1980s tackled the limitations of Marxist urban studies persuasively, each in his own way abandoning the project of Marxist social theory, whose central questions concern the joining together of structure and agency in a single hand. This chapter presents an analysis of the route taken by Friedrich Engels in his early work on cities in The Condition of the Working Class in England; in his compressed discussion of Manchester and other early industrial revolution urban centres, Engels blazed a road that has not been travelled either by Marxism or by students of the city, and identified mechanisms that connect structure and agency. The provocative union of Marxism and the city proposed by Engels had nothing to say about the history, character, and activities of national states. His contribution, rather, lies in the way he raised fundamental questions in three dimensions that correspond to each of Marx's theoretical projects: (1) questions about the linkages between large‐scale processes, principally the development of capitalism, and the emergence of the modern capitalist city; (2) questions about the linkages between the city as a point in the accumulation process and its internal forms; and (3) questions about the linkages between these forms and the development of class and group consciousness. These are the tasks entailed in joining Marxism and the city, and these are the questions explored in the remaining chapters of the book.Less
The previous chapter showed that neither David Harvey nor Manuel Castells in the early 1980s tackled the limitations of Marxist urban studies persuasively, each in his own way abandoning the project of Marxist social theory, whose central questions concern the joining together of structure and agency in a single hand. This chapter presents an analysis of the route taken by Friedrich Engels in his early work on cities in The Condition of the Working Class in England; in his compressed discussion of Manchester and other early industrial revolution urban centres, Engels blazed a road that has not been travelled either by Marxism or by students of the city, and identified mechanisms that connect structure and agency. The provocative union of Marxism and the city proposed by Engels had nothing to say about the history, character, and activities of national states. His contribution, rather, lies in the way he raised fundamental questions in three dimensions that correspond to each of Marx's theoretical projects: (1) questions about the linkages between large‐scale processes, principally the development of capitalism, and the emergence of the modern capitalist city; (2) questions about the linkages between the city as a point in the accumulation process and its internal forms; and (3) questions about the linkages between these forms and the development of class and group consciousness. These are the tasks entailed in joining Marxism and the city, and these are the questions explored in the remaining chapters of the book.
Martha Prevezer and Han Tang
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199207183
- eISBN:
- 9780191708886
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199207183.003.0006
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Innovation
The Chinese government has the ambition to develop China into a globally leading biotech nation. The genesis of three major biotechnology clusters along the east coast of China is considered in this ...
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The Chinese government has the ambition to develop China into a globally leading biotech nation. The genesis of three major biotechnology clusters along the east coast of China is considered in this chapter. Two main phases are distinguished in the evolution of government policy with respect to these clusters. A preceding phase is mainly concerned with institutional reform, creating new forms of property rights, setting out strategic programmes for the development of the biotechnology, and building up the appropriate knowledge base. Partly as a result of these policies, the entry of companies into the biotech clusters in each region more than doubled during the period 1995-2003 as compared to the period before 1995. Scientists returning from abroad frequently founded the new companies formed in the latter period.Less
The Chinese government has the ambition to develop China into a globally leading biotech nation. The genesis of three major biotechnology clusters along the east coast of China is considered in this chapter. Two main phases are distinguished in the evolution of government policy with respect to these clusters. A preceding phase is mainly concerned with institutional reform, creating new forms of property rights, setting out strategic programmes for the development of the biotechnology, and building up the appropriate knowledge base. Partly as a result of these policies, the entry of companies into the biotech clusters in each region more than doubled during the period 1995-2003 as compared to the period before 1995. Scientists returning from abroad frequently founded the new companies formed in the latter period.
Federico Varese
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691128559
- eISBN:
- 9781400836727
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691128559.003.0007
- Subject:
- Law, Criminal Law and Criminology
This chapter outlines a general perspective of mafia emergence and transplantation, and offers some considerations on the relation between democracy and mafias. Recent studies have shown that mafias ...
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This chapter outlines a general perspective of mafia emergence and transplantation, and offers some considerations on the relation between democracy and mafias. Recent studies have shown that mafias emerge in societies that are undergoing a sudden and late transition to the market economy, lack a legal structure that reliably protects property rights or settles business disputes, and have a supply of people trained in violence who become unemployed at this specific juncture. However, not all mafias have developed during times of market transition. Mafias may well emerge within functioning market economies, and for reasons other than to ensure the protection of property rights. The best way to fight the presence of a mafia is to drain the demand for its services. It is not enough to reform the public administration or liberalize markets, or let booms go unchecked. Liberalization should be accompanied by effective measures aimed at preventing the formation of cartels in local markets and easing the effect of liberalization on the local workforce to avoid social tension.Less
This chapter outlines a general perspective of mafia emergence and transplantation, and offers some considerations on the relation between democracy and mafias. Recent studies have shown that mafias emerge in societies that are undergoing a sudden and late transition to the market economy, lack a legal structure that reliably protects property rights or settles business disputes, and have a supply of people trained in violence who become unemployed at this specific juncture. However, not all mafias have developed during times of market transition. Mafias may well emerge within functioning market economies, and for reasons other than to ensure the protection of property rights. The best way to fight the presence of a mafia is to drain the demand for its services. It is not enough to reform the public administration or liberalize markets, or let booms go unchecked. Liberalization should be accompanied by effective measures aimed at preventing the formation of cartels in local markets and easing the effect of liberalization on the local workforce to avoid social tension.
Franck Courchamp, Luděk Berec, and Joanna Gascoigne
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780198570301
- eISBN:
- 9780191717642
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198570301.003.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Biodiversity / Conservation Biology
This first chapter acts as an introduction to the book. It explains what an Allee effect is, provides a clear definition of the main concept and of its nuances, and briefly explains how it works both ...
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This first chapter acts as an introduction to the book. It explains what an Allee effect is, provides a clear definition of the main concept and of its nuances, and briefly explains how it works both at the individual and population levels. The first part of the chapter describes the progression of the ideas in ecology that led a mostly ‘competition’ oriented view of both behavioural ecology and population dynamics to standpoint where cooperation plays a more appropriate role. This helps to illustrate the concepts that have historically emerged with the works of Professor Warder Clyde Allee, and how studies about Allee effects have evolved both in numbers and orientations over the decades. By explaining the notions related to Allee effects — mostly the two major distinctions (weak/strong and demographic/component Allee effects) and the boundaries of the concept — the book's structure and framework is described.Less
This first chapter acts as an introduction to the book. It explains what an Allee effect is, provides a clear definition of the main concept and of its nuances, and briefly explains how it works both at the individual and population levels. The first part of the chapter describes the progression of the ideas in ecology that led a mostly ‘competition’ oriented view of both behavioural ecology and population dynamics to standpoint where cooperation plays a more appropriate role. This helps to illustrate the concepts that have historically emerged with the works of Professor Warder Clyde Allee, and how studies about Allee effects have evolved both in numbers and orientations over the decades. By explaining the notions related to Allee effects — mostly the two major distinctions (weak/strong and demographic/component Allee effects) and the boundaries of the concept — the book's structure and framework is described.
Achim Stephan
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199583621
- eISBN:
- 9780191723483
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199583621.003.0015
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Science
Many problems that have been discussed in the philosophy of mind have been discussed from an emergentist's perspective. But there is little consideration, if any, of the problem of free will. This ...
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Many problems that have been discussed in the philosophy of mind have been discussed from an emergentist's perspective. But there is little consideration, if any, of the problem of free will. This chapter aims to shed some new light on this old problem by approaching it from the perspective of emergentism, where both diachronic and synchronic aspects will play a role. Leading questions are, for example, whether or not the capacity of having a free will can be reductively explained, or whether the ‘emergence’ of this capacity could have been predicted, in principle. To reflect on these questions one has to distinguish various explications of what the capacity of having a free will really is.Less
Many problems that have been discussed in the philosophy of mind have been discussed from an emergentist's perspective. But there is little consideration, if any, of the problem of free will. This chapter aims to shed some new light on this old problem by approaching it from the perspective of emergentism, where both diachronic and synchronic aspects will play a role. Leading questions are, for example, whether or not the capacity of having a free will can be reductively explained, or whether the ‘emergence’ of this capacity could have been predicted, in principle. To reflect on these questions one has to distinguish various explications of what the capacity of having a free will really is.
William P. Brown
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199730797
- eISBN:
- 9780199777075
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199730797.003.0009
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies, Theology
In stark contrast to Ecclesiastes, Isaiah 40-55 provides a dynamic and open-ended picture of creation. This chapter examines certain passages from Second Isaiah that were evidently composed at the ...
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In stark contrast to Ecclesiastes, Isaiah 40-55 provides a dynamic and open-ended picture of creation. This chapter examines certain passages from Second Isaiah that were evidently composed at the end of Israel’s exile in Babylon. The heavens are likened to unfurled fabric, and the ground is the locus of God’s new creation. To herald the exiles’ release, the prophet draws heavily from the example of botanical life. Creation is emergent: like plants bursting from the soil’s crust, salvation “springs forth” from the ground. Creation’s emergent newness is matched by the prophet’s emergent view of God. Drawing from the biological analogy of “symbiosis,” this chapter argues that Isaiah’s rigorously monotheistic view of God is the result of a merging of divine qualities from which God’s identity emerges as the transcendent and consummate creator.Less
In stark contrast to Ecclesiastes, Isaiah 40-55 provides a dynamic and open-ended picture of creation. This chapter examines certain passages from Second Isaiah that were evidently composed at the end of Israel’s exile in Babylon. The heavens are likened to unfurled fabric, and the ground is the locus of God’s new creation. To herald the exiles’ release, the prophet draws heavily from the example of botanical life. Creation is emergent: like plants bursting from the soil’s crust, salvation “springs forth” from the ground. Creation’s emergent newness is matched by the prophet’s emergent view of God. Drawing from the biological analogy of “symbiosis,” this chapter argues that Isaiah’s rigorously monotheistic view of God is the result of a merging of divine qualities from which God’s identity emerges as the transcendent and consummate creator.
Steven Horst
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195317114
- eISBN:
- 9780199871520
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195317114.003.0007
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind
This chapter examines the consequences of post‐reductionist philosophy of science for nonreductive physicalism. Nonreductive physicalism is compatible with explanatory pluralism in philosophy of ...
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This chapter examines the consequences of post‐reductionist philosophy of science for nonreductive physicalism. Nonreductive physicalism is compatible with explanatory pluralism in philosophy of science. However, upon closer examination, the demise of reductionism leaves us with no convincing argument for physicalism. Nonreductive physicalism is attractive as a fallback position for disillusioned reductionists—that is, assuming one is already committed to physicalism. But without reductions, there is no convincing reason to become a physicalist—that is, to assume that mind‐body relations are metaphysically necessary.Less
This chapter examines the consequences of post‐reductionist philosophy of science for nonreductive physicalism. Nonreductive physicalism is compatible with explanatory pluralism in philosophy of science. However, upon closer examination, the demise of reductionism leaves us with no convincing argument for physicalism. Nonreductive physicalism is attractive as a fallback position for disillusioned reductionists—that is, assuming one is already committed to physicalism. But without reductions, there is no convincing reason to become a physicalist—that is, to assume that mind‐body relations are metaphysically necessary.
Nancey Murphy and Warren S. Brown
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199215393
- eISBN:
- 9780191707025
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199215393.003.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind
The problem that is addressed by this book is given in the form of the question: ‘If humans are physical systems, and if it is their brains that allow them to think, how can it not be the case that ...
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The problem that is addressed by this book is given in the form of the question: ‘If humans are physical systems, and if it is their brains that allow them to think, how can it not be the case that all of their thoughts and behaviors are simply the product of neurobiology?’ The book's approach to this problem is described in terms of a reformulation of philosophical views based on neuroscience, most particularly the views of causal reduction and the mental as ‘inner’. Tangled terminology is sorted out (preliminarily) with respect to the meaning of ideas, such as physicalism, emergence, and downward causation. Finally, an overview of the progression of arguments of the book is given in the form of chapter summaries.Less
The problem that is addressed by this book is given in the form of the question: ‘If humans are physical systems, and if it is their brains that allow them to think, how can it not be the case that all of their thoughts and behaviors are simply the product of neurobiology?’ The book's approach to this problem is described in terms of a reformulation of philosophical views based on neuroscience, most particularly the views of causal reduction and the mental as ‘inner’. Tangled terminology is sorted out (preliminarily) with respect to the meaning of ideas, such as physicalism, emergence, and downward causation. Finally, an overview of the progression of arguments of the book is given in the form of chapter summaries.
Anna Wierzbicka
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195174748
- eISBN:
- 9780199788514
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195174748.003.0008
- Subject:
- Linguistics, English Language
English has a much larger repertoire of epistemic (sentential) adverbs than other European languages, possibly indeed without parallel in other languages of the world. The set of these adverbs ...
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English has a much larger repertoire of epistemic (sentential) adverbs than other European languages, possibly indeed without parallel in other languages of the world. The set of these adverbs includes the following: probably, possibly, clearly, obviously, presumably, evidently, apparently, supposedly, conceivably, undoubtedly, allegedly, reportedly, arguably, unquestionably, seemingly, certainly, and in American English likely. As this chapter discusses in some detail, this rich repertoire of epistemic adverbs developed in English gradually. Undoubtedly, the rise of this semantico-grammatical category in English was related to the rise of verbal epistemic phrases, such as I presume, I assume, I gather, I understand, I suppose, and so on. The cultural concerns reflected in the two categories are essentially the same, and in both cases they can be linked with the post-Lockean emphasis on the limitations of human knowledge, on the need to distinguish knowledge from judgment, on differentiating between different “degrees of assent.” But to compare the class of “epistemic adverbs” in different languages one must first identify this class in each language, and for this one needs some explicit semantic criteria. In the absence of a detailed semantic analysis of the individual words it is impossible to rigorously delimit the class in question; and without delimiting it, it is impossible to compare its size across language boundaries. This chapter shows that the use of the NSM methodology makes it possible to carry out such detailed semantic analysis, and to establish that the proliferation of epistemic adverbs is indeed a distinctive feature of English. The legal scholar Larry Solan (1999) has observed that British “17th century thinkers, influenced heavily by John Locke, developed an epistemology that differentiated among various kinds of evidence.” It is shown that in the English-speaking world, this epistemology differentiating among various kinds and degrees of certainty has had an impact on ordinary ways of speaking, and on the English language itself, and this impact continues to this day.Less
English has a much larger repertoire of epistemic (sentential) adverbs than other European languages, possibly indeed without parallel in other languages of the world. The set of these adverbs includes the following: probably, possibly, clearly, obviously, presumably, evidently, apparently, supposedly, conceivably, undoubtedly, allegedly, reportedly, arguably, unquestionably, seemingly, certainly, and in American English likely. As this chapter discusses in some detail, this rich repertoire of epistemic adverbs developed in English gradually. Undoubtedly, the rise of this semantico-grammatical category in English was related to the rise of verbal epistemic phrases, such as I presume, I assume, I gather, I understand, I suppose, and so on. The cultural concerns reflected in the two categories are essentially the same, and in both cases they can be linked with the post-Lockean emphasis on the limitations of human knowledge, on the need to distinguish knowledge from judgment, on differentiating between different “degrees of assent.” But to compare the class of “epistemic adverbs” in different languages one must first identify this class in each language, and for this one needs some explicit semantic criteria. In the absence of a detailed semantic analysis of the individual words it is impossible to rigorously delimit the class in question; and without delimiting it, it is impossible to compare its size across language boundaries. This chapter shows that the use of the NSM methodology makes it possible to carry out such detailed semantic analysis, and to establish that the proliferation of epistemic adverbs is indeed a distinctive feature of English. The legal scholar Larry Solan (1999) has observed that British “17th century thinkers, influenced heavily by John Locke, developed an epistemology that differentiated among various kinds of evidence.” It is shown that in the English-speaking world, this epistemology differentiating among various kinds and degrees of certainty has had an impact on ordinary ways of speaking, and on the English language itself, and this impact continues to this day.
Sharon K. Collinge and Chris Ray
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198567080
- eISBN:
- 9780191717871
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198567080.003.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Disease Ecology / Epidemiology
The purpose of this book is to highlight exciting recent advances in theoretical and empirical research which has been conducted towards a greater understanding of the importance of community ...
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The purpose of this book is to highlight exciting recent advances in theoretical and empirical research which has been conducted towards a greater understanding of the importance of community structure in the emergence of infectious diseases. A brief glossary of commonly used terms in ecology and epidemiology is provided including enzootic, epizootic, infectious disease, pathogen, parasite, reservoir host, and SEIR models. Most chapters in this book relate shifts in disease dynamics to alterations of community structure driven by anthropogenic activities, and most involve ecological field studies of diseases just emerging in the United States, although the focus on emergent diseases and their community ecology is clearly applicable to disease dynamics worldwide.Less
The purpose of this book is to highlight exciting recent advances in theoretical and empirical research which has been conducted towards a greater understanding of the importance of community structure in the emergence of infectious diseases. A brief glossary of commonly used terms in ecology and epidemiology is provided including enzootic, epizootic, infectious disease, pathogen, parasite, reservoir host, and SEIR models. Most chapters in this book relate shifts in disease dynamics to alterations of community structure driven by anthropogenic activities, and most involve ecological field studies of diseases just emerging in the United States, although the focus on emergent diseases and their community ecology is clearly applicable to disease dynamics worldwide.
Charles W. Fowler
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199540969
- eISBN:
- 9780191716249
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199540969.001.1
- Subject:
- Biology, Biodiversity / Conservation Biology
“Systemic management” describes a holistic, objective, and universally applicable form of management, providing a framework for addressing environmental challenges such as global warming, emergent ...
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“Systemic management” describes a holistic, objective, and universally applicable form of management, providing a framework for addressing environmental challenges such as global warming, emergent diseases, deforestation, overpopulation, the extinction crisis, pollution, overfishing, and habitat destruction. Its goals are the consistently sustainable relationships between humans and ecosystems, between humans and other species, and between humans and the biosphere. This book presents a convincing argument that these goals, and the means to achieve them, can be inferred from empirical information. It describes how comparisons between humans and other species reveal patterns that can serve to guide management toward true sustainability, that is, ways that are empirically observed to work in natural systems by virtue of their emergence. It shows how this objective approach has not been possible in conventional management because sustainability is undermined by other human values. This book presents systemic management as a specialized process of pattern-based decision making that avoids the inconsistency, subjectivity, and error in current management practice. It clearly demonstrates how mimicking nature's empirical examples of sustainability can circumvent anthropocentric tendencies to overuse/misuse human values in management, and illustrates the best science for management (the science best suited for achieving sustainability) through examples of research that address specific management questions. It presents systemic management as reality-based management to replace the misdirected reductionism of conventional management with reductionism useful for directing human self-control.Less
“Systemic management” describes a holistic, objective, and universally applicable form of management, providing a framework for addressing environmental challenges such as global warming, emergent diseases, deforestation, overpopulation, the extinction crisis, pollution, overfishing, and habitat destruction. Its goals are the consistently sustainable relationships between humans and ecosystems, between humans and other species, and between humans and the biosphere. This book presents a convincing argument that these goals, and the means to achieve them, can be inferred from empirical information. It describes how comparisons between humans and other species reveal patterns that can serve to guide management toward true sustainability, that is, ways that are empirically observed to work in natural systems by virtue of their emergence. It shows how this objective approach has not been possible in conventional management because sustainability is undermined by other human values. This book presents systemic management as a specialized process of pattern-based decision making that avoids the inconsistency, subjectivity, and error in current management practice. It clearly demonstrates how mimicking nature's empirical examples of sustainability can circumvent anthropocentric tendencies to overuse/misuse human values in management, and illustrates the best science for management (the science best suited for achieving sustainability) through examples of research that address specific management questions. It presents systemic management as reality-based management to replace the misdirected reductionism of conventional management with reductionism useful for directing human self-control.
Eric Post
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691148472
- eISBN:
- 9781400846139
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691148472.003.0003
- Subject:
- Biology, Ecology
This chapter looks at examples illustrating patterns in phenological responses to observed and experimental climate change. The most commonly observed phenological response to recent climate change ...
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This chapter looks at examples illustrating patterns in phenological responses to observed and experimental climate change. The most commonly observed phenological response to recent climate change is an advance in the timing of early life history events such as migration, plant emergence or flowering, amphibian breeding, or egg-laying dates in birds. Patterns in satellite-derived images of primary productivity suggest a lengthening of the plant-growing season in recent decades, whereas data on plant phenological dynamics from studies conducted at plot and sublandscape scales indicate shortened phenophases, or phenological events, in response to warming. This contrast may be resolved by recognizing the difference between phenology in the context of individual life history strategies of disparate species and landscape-scale patterns of phenology, and by recognizing the difference between local, species-specific phenological dynamics and those occurring at the landscape scale.Less
This chapter looks at examples illustrating patterns in phenological responses to observed and experimental climate change. The most commonly observed phenological response to recent climate change is an advance in the timing of early life history events such as migration, plant emergence or flowering, amphibian breeding, or egg-laying dates in birds. Patterns in satellite-derived images of primary productivity suggest a lengthening of the plant-growing season in recent decades, whereas data on plant phenological dynamics from studies conducted at plot and sublandscape scales indicate shortened phenophases, or phenological events, in response to warming. This contrast may be resolved by recognizing the difference between phenology in the context of individual life history strategies of disparate species and landscape-scale patterns of phenology, and by recognizing the difference between local, species-specific phenological dynamics and those occurring at the landscape scale.
Philip Clayton
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199544318
- eISBN:
- 9780191701351
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199544318.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology, Philosophy of Religion
The discussion of emergence has grown out of the successes and failures of the scientific quest for reduction. Emergence theories presuppose that the project of complete explanatory reduction — ...
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The discussion of emergence has grown out of the successes and failures of the scientific quest for reduction. Emergence theories presuppose that the project of complete explanatory reduction — explaining all phenomena in the natural world in terms of the objects and laws of physics — is finally impossible. The definition of emergence by el-Hani and Pereira includes four general features: ontological physicalism, property emergence, the irreducibility of the emergence, and downward causation. The preponderance of the weak emergence position is reflected in the great popularity of the supervenience debate, which flourished in the 1980s and 1990s. Nonetheless, strong emergence has received increasingly sophisticated formulations in recent years. The chapters that follow offer a systematic overview of the re-emergence of emergence theories in contemporary thought.Less
The discussion of emergence has grown out of the successes and failures of the scientific quest for reduction. Emergence theories presuppose that the project of complete explanatory reduction — explaining all phenomena in the natural world in terms of the objects and laws of physics — is finally impossible. The definition of emergence by el-Hani and Pereira includes four general features: ontological physicalism, property emergence, the irreducibility of the emergence, and downward causation. The preponderance of the weak emergence position is reflected in the great popularity of the supervenience debate, which flourished in the 1980s and 1990s. Nonetheless, strong emergence has received increasingly sophisticated formulations in recent years. The chapters that follow offer a systematic overview of the re-emergence of emergence theories in contemporary thought.
Lynn J. Rothschild
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199544318
- eISBN:
- 9780191701351
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199544318.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology, Philosophy of Religion
This chapter offers a fresh look at the question of emergence in biology, from the origin of life to evolution and ecology. In the process, it considers potential examples of emergence and whether ...
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This chapter offers a fresh look at the question of emergence in biology, from the origin of life to evolution and ecology. In the process, it considers potential examples of emergence and whether innovations in structure or process can be considered emergent. It contends that the question of emergence is of great importance for modern biology. It guides one in determining whether a strict reductionist approach will suffice for solving questions of life. Emergence is critical to the examination of the most fundamental question of biology: what is life? Although every case in biology that is treated as emergent may not be so in the strict philosophical sense, pragmatic emergence can be the most direct path to scientific enlightenment.Less
This chapter offers a fresh look at the question of emergence in biology, from the origin of life to evolution and ecology. In the process, it considers potential examples of emergence and whether innovations in structure or process can be considered emergent. It contends that the question of emergence is of great importance for modern biology. It guides one in determining whether a strict reductionist approach will suffice for solving questions of life. Emergence is critical to the examination of the most fundamental question of biology: what is life? Although every case in biology that is treated as emergent may not be so in the strict philosophical sense, pragmatic emergence can be the most direct path to scientific enlightenment.
