Mechanisms: Are activities up to the job?
(2010) p.201-209- Abstract
- In this article I examine whether an influential theory of mechanisms proposed by Peter Machamer, Lindley Darden and Carl Craver can accommodate polygenic effects. This theory is both interesting and problematic, I will argue, because it ascribes a central role to activities. In it, activities are needed not only to constitute mechanisms but also to perform their causal role. These putative functions of activities become problematic in certain situations where several causes or elements of a mechanism contribute simultaneously, i.e. with certain forms of polygenic causation. The problematic form of polygeny, polygeny 2, occurs when the polygenic contribution concerns one and the same property or aspect of the affected object. When the... (More)
- In this article I examine whether an influential theory of mechanisms proposed by Peter Machamer, Lindley Darden and Carl Craver can accommodate polygenic effects. This theory is both interesting and problematic, I will argue, because it ascribes a central role to activities. In it, activities are needed not only to constitute mechanisms but also to perform their causal role. These putative functions of activities become problematic in certain situations where several causes or elements of a mechanism contribute simultaneously, i.e. with certain forms of polygenic causation. The problematic form of polygeny, polygeny 2, occurs when the polygenic contribution concerns one and the same property or aspect of the affected object. When the result of such causation is that nothing happens, the theory suggested by Machamer and his colleagues cannot be applied. More generally, it seems that, whenever polygeny 2 is involved, the Machamer approach leads to an impoverished conception of mechanism. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/1293834
- author
- Persson, Johannes
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2010
- type
- Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- causation, metaphysics, processes, philosophy of science, activities, Machamer, Mechanisms
- host publication
- EPSA Epistemology and Methodology of Science: Launch of the European Philosophy of Science Association
- editor
- M, Suárez ; M, Dorato and M, Rédei
- pages
- 201 - 209
- publisher
- Springer
- external identifiers
-
- wos:000282597600017
- scopus:84892303543
- ISBN
- 978-90-481-3262-1 (print)
- 978-90-481-3263-8 (online)
- DOI
- 10.1007/978-90-481-3263-8
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- b8082376-8e0b-4e75-8e9c-5ea141934b7b (old id 1293834)
- alternative location
- http://www.springerlink.com/content/978-90-481-3262-1?sortorder=asc&p_o=10
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-04 11:42:13
- date last changed
- 2022-01-29 22:20:17
@inbook{b8082376-8e0b-4e75-8e9c-5ea141934b7b, abstract = {{In this article I examine whether an influential theory of mechanisms proposed by Peter Machamer, Lindley Darden and Carl Craver can accommodate polygenic effects. This theory is both interesting and problematic, I will argue, because it ascribes a central role to activities. In it, activities are needed not only to constitute mechanisms but also to perform their causal role. These putative functions of activities become problematic in certain situations where several causes or elements of a mechanism contribute simultaneously, i.e. with certain forms of polygenic causation. The problematic form of polygeny, polygeny 2, occurs when the polygenic contribution concerns one and the same property or aspect of the affected object. When the result of such causation is that nothing happens, the theory suggested by Machamer and his colleagues cannot be applied. More generally, it seems that, whenever polygeny 2 is involved, the Machamer approach leads to an impoverished conception of mechanism.}}, author = {{Persson, Johannes}}, booktitle = {{EPSA Epistemology and Methodology of Science: Launch of the European Philosophy of Science Association}}, editor = {{M, Suárez and M, Dorato and M, Rédei}}, isbn = {{978-90-481-3262-1 (print)}}, keywords = {{causation; metaphysics; processes; philosophy of science; activities; Machamer; Mechanisms}}, language = {{eng}}, pages = {{201--209}}, publisher = {{Springer}}, title = {{Mechanisms: Are activities up to the job?}}, url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3263-8}}, doi = {{10.1007/978-90-481-3263-8}}, year = {{2010}}, }