Physical realism
Title | Physical realism PDF eBook |
Author | T. Case |
Publisher | Рипол Классик |
Pages | 396 |
Release | |
Genre | History |
ISBN | 117766951X |
Physical Realism
Title | Physical Realism PDF eBook |
Author | Thomas Case |
Publisher | |
Pages | 442 |
Release | 1888 |
Genre | Cognition |
ISBN |
Teleological Realism
Title | Teleological Realism PDF eBook |
Author | Scott Robert Sehon |
Publisher | Bradford Books |
Pages | 272 |
Release | 2005 |
Genre | Philosophy |
ISBN |
A non-reductionist account of mind and agency claiming that common-sense psychological explanations are teleological and not causal. Using the language of common-sense psychology (CSP), we explain human behavior by citing its reason or purpose, and this is central to our understanding of human beings as agents. On the other hand, since human beings are physical objects, human behavior should also be explicable in the language of physical science, in which causal accounts cast human beings as collections of physical particles. CSP talk of mind and agency, however, does not seem to mesh well with the language of physical science. In Teleological Realism, Scott Sehon argues that CSP explanations are not causal but teleological--that they cite the purpose or goal of the behavior in question rather than an antecedent state that caused the behavior. CSP explanations of behavior, Sehon claims, are answering a question different from that answered by physical science explanations, and, accordingly, CSP explanations and physical science explanations are independent of one another. Common-sense facts about mind and agency can thus be independent of the physical facts about human beings, and, contrary to the views of most philosophers of mind in recent decades, common-sense psychology will not be subsumed by physical science. Sehon defends his non-reductionist account of mind and agency in clear and nontechnical language. He carefully distinguishes his view from forms of "strong naturalism" that would seem to preclude it. And he evaluates key objections to teleological realism, including those posed by Donald Davidson's influential article "Actions, Reasons and Causes" and some put forth by more recent proponents of causal theories of action. CSP, Sehon argues, has a different realm than does physical science; the normative notions that are central to CSP are not reducible to physical facts and laws.
Randomness And Realism: Encounters With Randomness In The Scientific Search For Physical Reality
Title | Randomness And Realism: Encounters With Randomness In The Scientific Search For Physical Reality PDF eBook |
Author | John W Fowler |
Publisher | World Scientific |
Pages | 536 |
Release | 2021-07-08 |
Genre | Science |
ISBN | 9811243484 |
Randomness is an active element relevant to all scientific activities. The book explores the way in which randomness suffuses the human experience, starting with everyday chance events, followed by developments into modern probability theory, statistical mechanics, scientific data analysis, quantum mechanics, and quantum gravity. An accessible introduction to these theories is provided as a basis for going into deeper topics.Fowler unveils the influence of randomness in the two pillars of science, measurement and theory. Some emphasis is placed on the need and methods for optimal characterization of uncertainty. An example of the cost of neglecting this is the St. Petersburg Paradox, a theoretical game of chance with an infinite expected payoff value. The role of randomness in quantum mechanics reveals another particularly interesting finding: that in order for the physical universe to function as it does and permit conscious beings within it to enjoy sanity, irreducible randomness is necessary at the quantum level.The book employs a certain level of mathematics to describe physical reality in a more precise way that avoids the tendency of nonmathematical descriptions to be occasionally misleading. Thus, it is most readily digested by young students who have taken at least a class in introductory calculus, or professional scientists and engineers curious about the book's topics as a result of hearing about them in popular media. Readers not inclined to savor equations should be able to skip certain technical sections without losing the general flow of ideas. Still, it is hoped that even readers who usually avoid equations will give those within these pages a chance, as they may be surprised at how potentially foreboding concepts fall into line when one makes a legitimate attempt to follow a succession of mathematical implications.
Varieties of Realism
Title | Varieties of Realism PDF eBook |
Author | Margaret A. Hagen |
Publisher | CUP Archive |
Pages | 356 |
Release | 1986-05-31 |
Genre | Art |
ISBN | 9780521313292 |
Varieties of Realism argues that it is not possible to represent the layout of objects and surfaces in space outside the dictates of formal visual geometry, the geometry of natural perspective. The book examines most of the world's coherent representational art styles, both in terms of the geometry of their creation and in terms of their perceptual effects on the viewer. A lucid exposition of modern geometrical principles and relations, accessible to the nonmathematical reader, is followed by an analysis of all known styles as variants of natural perspective, as true varieties of realism. Delineating the physical and mechanical constraints that determine the act of visual representation in painting and drawing, the author traces the intimate relations among seemingly distant styles and considers the kind of perceptual information about the world each can carry. Margaret Hagen is a perceptual psychologist with an ecological point of view. Her rigorous but readable presentation of visual theory and research offers provocative new insights into the connections among vision, geometry, and art.
Realism & Antirealism
Title | Realism & Antirealism PDF eBook |
Author | William P. Alston |
Publisher | Cornell University Press |
Pages | 324 |
Release | 2002 |
Genre | Philosophy |
ISBN | 9780801487903 |
Throughout the past century, a debate has raged over the thesis of realism and its alternatives. In this volume of original essays, a group of philosophers explores the ongoing controversy.
New Englander and Yale Review
Title | New Englander and Yale Review PDF eBook |
Author | |
Publisher | |
Pages | 512 |
Release | 1889 |
Genre | |
ISBN |