Causation And Laws Of Nature (routledge Studies In Contemporary Philosophy)

Praise for the French-language edition of Causalite´ et lois de la nature: ‘‘ . . . it is a pleasure to read Kistler’s book and . . . its argument is very well developed. It is a remarkable example of the standards of clarity and precision that are achieved in today’s analytical philosophy of science.’’ Michael Esfeld, University of Lausanne: review in Dialectica ‘‘ . . . a wonderfully rich book by Max Kistler . . . not only a skilled writer in the history of philosophy; he also makes important and novel contributions both to the theory of causation and to the philosophy of laws of nature. . . . This book is already packed with good arguments. My impression is that Causalite´ et lois de la nature is important reading for all philosophers with an interest in laws of nature and causation. I will certainly be on the watch both for the translation of it and for forthcoming work by Max Kistler.’’ Johannes Persson, Lund University, review in Mind Causation and Laws of Nature Causation is important. It is, as Hume said, the cement of the universe, and lies at the heart of our conceptual structure. Causation is one of the most fundamental tools we have for organizing our apprehension of the external world and ourselves. But philosophers’ disagreement about the correct interpretation of causation is as limitless as their agreement about its importance. The history of attempts to elucidate the nature of this concept and to situate it with respect to other fundamental concepts is almost as long as the history of philosophy itself. In this first English translation of Causalite´ et lois de la nature Max Kistler seeks to reconstruct a unified concept of causation that is general enough to adequately deal with both elementary physical processes and the macroscopic level of phenomena we encounter in everyday life. It will be of great interest to philosophers of science and metaphysics, and also to students and scholars of philosophy of mind where concepts of causation and law play a prominent role. Max Kistler is Maıˆtre de conferences, in the Department of Philosophy at the Universite Paris X-Nanterre, France and member of Institut Jean Nicod, Paris. Routledge Studies in Contemporary Philosophy 1 Email and Ethics Style and ethical relations in computer-mediated communication Emma Rooksby 2 Causation and Laws of Nature Max Kistler Causation and Laws of Nature Max Kistler First published in French: Causalite´ et lois de la nature # Librarie Philosophiquie J. Vrin, Paris, 1999 http://www.vrin.com English-language translation first published 2006 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 270 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business English language translation # Routledge, 2006 This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2006. “To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.” Printed and bound in Great Britain by Biddles Ltd, King’s Lynn All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any ele