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Powers and Capacities in Philosophy is designed to stake out an
emerging, discipline-spanning neo-Aristotelian framework grounded
in realism about causal powers. The volume brings together for the
first time original essays by leading philosophers working on
powers in relation to metaphysics, philosophy of natural and social
science, philosophy of mind and action, epistemology, ethics and
social and political philosophy. In each area, the concern is to
show how a commitment to real causal powers affects discussion at
the level in question. In metaphysics, for example, realism about
powers is now recognized as providing an alternative to orthodox
accounts of causation, modality, properties and laws. Dispositional
realist philosophers of science, meanwhile, argue that a powers
ontology allows for a proper account of the nature of scientific
explanation. In the philosophy of mind there is the suggestion that
agency is best understood in terms of the distinctive powers of
human beings. Those who take virtue theoretic approaches in
epistemology and ethics have long been interested in the powers
that allow for knowledge and/or moral excellence. In social and
political philosophy, finally, powers theorists are interested in
the powers of sociological phenomena such as collectivities,
institutions, roles and/or social relations, but also in the
conditions of possibility for the cultivation of the powers of
individuals. The book will be of interest to philosophers working
in any of these areas, as well as to historians of philosophy,
political theorists and critical realists.
Groff's argument runs counter to the familiar anti-metaphysical
habit. Social and political philosophy, she maintains, is not as
metaphysically neutral as it may seem. Even the most deontological
of theories connects up with an attendant set of philosophical
commitments regarding what kinds of things exist, as a fundamental
ontological matter, and what they are like. These are topics of
interest not just to social and political philosophers, but to
social scientists and to philosophers of social science as well.
"Ruth Groff has broken new ground in demonstrating the connection
between social and political thought and the ontology of causal
powers. Her account of the structure of Humean thinking about
agency is excellent. Especially significant is the role that she
assigns to Kantianism in the analysis that she develops. She moves
effortlessly between contemporary metaphysics, political theory,
critical social theory, and the history of modern philosophy,
offering trenchant insights along the way into the work of thinkers
ranging from Hume himself to Mill, Adorno, and Martha Nussbaum, and
into debates over agent causation and emergence. There is even a
discussion, in the final chapter, of Spinoza. This is big-picture
philosophy at its best: rigorous and exacting at the level of
detail; original, compelling and systematic in the whole." -
Stephen Mumford, Professor of Metaphysics and Dean of the Faculty
of Arts, University of Nottingham
Groff's argument runs counter to the familiar anti-metaphysical
habit. Social and political philosophy, she maintains, is not as
metaphysically neutral as it may seem. Even the most deontological
of theories connects up with an attendant set of philosophical
commitments regarding what kinds of things exist, as a fundamental
ontological matter, and what they are like. These are topics of
interest not just to social and political philosophers, but to
social scientists and to philosophers of social science as well.
"Ruth Groff has broken new ground in demonstrating the connection
between social and political thought and the ontology of causal
powers. Her account of the structure of Humean thinking about
agency is excellent. Especially significant is the role that she
assigns to Kantianism in the analysis that she develops. She moves
effortlessly between contemporary metaphysics, political theory,
critical social theory, and the history of modern philosophy,
offering trenchant insights along the way into the work of thinkers
ranging from Hume himself to Mill, Adorno, and Martha Nussbaum, and
into debates over agent causation and emergence. There is even a
discussion, in the final chapter, of Spinoza. This is big-picture
philosophy at its best: rigorous and exacting at the level of
detail; original, compelling and systematic in the whole." -
Stephen Mumford, Professor of Metaphysics and Dean of the Faculty
of Arts, University of Nottingham
This cutting edge collection of new and previously published
articles by philosophers and social scientists addresses just what
it means to invoke causal mechanisms, or powers, in the context of
offering a causal explanation. A unique collection, it offers the
reader various disciplinary and inter-disciplinary divides, helping
to stake out a new, neo-Aristotelian position within contemporary
debate.
This cutting edge collection of new and previously published
articles by philosophers and social scientists addresses just what
it means to invoke causal mechanisms, or powers, in the context of
offering a causal explanation. A unique collection, it offers the
reader various disciplinary and inter-disciplinary divides, helping
to stake out a new, neo-Aristotelian position within contemporary
debate.
At the heart of contemporary relativism, is the idea that the world
has no mind-independent characteristics. As there is no way that
the world is on its own, any opinions held may be regarded as
valid. Critical realism is a promising alternative to such a
position. Critical realism allows for the conclusion that certain
processes lead to specific outcomes regardless of how we think
about them, which in turn places a limited but crucial check on
relativism. Groff defends 'realism about causality' through close
discussions of Kant, Hilary Putnam, Brian Ellis and Charles Taylor,
among others. In so doing she affirms critical realism, but with
several important qualifications. In particular, she rejects the
theory of truth advanced by Roy Bhaskar. She also attempts to both
clarify and correct earlier critical realist attempts to apply
realism about causality to the social sciences. By connecting
issues in metaphysics and philosophy of science to the problem of
relativism, Groff bridges the gap between the philosophical
literature and broader debates surrounding socio-political theory
and poststructuralist thought. This unique approach will make the
book of interest to philosophers and
Powers and Capacities in Philosophy is designed to stake out an
emerging, discipline-spanning neo-Aristotelian framework grounded
in realism about causal powers. The volume brings together for the
first time original essays by leading philosophers working on
powers in relation to metaphysics, philosophy of natural and social
science, philosophy of mind and action, epistemology, ethics and
social and political philosophy. In each area, the concern is to
show how a commitment to real causal powers affects discussion at
the level in question. In metaphysics, for example, realism about
powers is now recognized as providing an alternative to orthodox
accounts of causation, modality, properties and laws. Dispositional
realist philosophers of science, meanwhile, argue that a powers
ontology allows for a proper account of the nature of scientific
explanation. In the philosophy of mind there is the suggestion that
agency is best understood in terms of the distinctive powers of
human beings. Those who take virtue theoretic approaches in
epistemology and ethics have long been interested in the powers
that allow for knowledge and/or moral excellence. In social and
political philosophy, finally, powers theorists are interested in
the powers of sociological phenomena such as collectivities,
institutions, roles and/or social relations, but also in the
conditions of possibility for the cultivation of the powers of
individuals. The book will be of interest to philosophers working
in any of these areas, as well as to historians of philosophy,
political theorists and critical realists.
Groff defends 'realism about causality' through close discussions
of Kant, Hilary Putnam, Brian Ellis and Charles Taylor, among
others. In so doing she affirms critical realism, but with several
important qualifications. In particular, she rejects the theory of
truth advanced by Roy Bhaskar. She also attempts to both clarify
and correct earlier critical realist attempts to apply realism
about causality to the social sciences.
By connecting issues in metaphysics and philosophy of science to
the problem of relativism, Groff bridges the gap between the
philosophical literature and broader debates surrounding
socio-political theory and poststructuralist thought. This unique
approach will make the book of interest to philosophers and
socio-political theorists alike.
Subject & Object is a thematic collection of classic works by
Max Horkheimer, Theodor Adorno, and Herbert Marcuse, designed to
foreground the authors' philosophical concerns, especially in the
areas of epistemology, ontology, and method. The volume, which
includes lucid introductions to all of the selections, illustrates
Frankfurt School approaches to questions such as the nature of
reason; the limits of empiricism, pragmatism and Kantian
transcendental idealism; the case for materialism; the difficulty
of thinking counterfactually; and the ideological character of
mainstream social science. Many of the pieces in the volume are
otherwise out of print. Subject & Object will be a resource for
social, political, and cultural theorists who may be less familiar
with the philosophical aspects of the Frankfurt School, for
analytic philosophers who may not have had previous exposure to
their work at all, and for anyone wanting access to these seminal
texts.
Subject & Object is a thematic collection of classic works by
Max Horkheimer, Theodor Adorno, and Herbert Marcuse, designed to
foreground the authors' philosophical concerns, especially in the
areas of epistemology, ontology, and method. The volume, which
includes lucid introductions to all of the selections, illustrates
Frankfurt School approaches to questions such as the nature of
reason; the limits of empiricism, pragmatism and Kantian
transcendental idealism; the case for materialism; the difficulty
of thinking counterfactually; and the ideological character of
mainstream social science. Many of the pieces in the volume are
otherwise out of print. Subject & Object will be a resource for
social, political, and cultural theorists who may be less familiar
with the philosophical aspects of the Frankfurt School, for
analytic philosophers who may not have had previous exposure to
their work at all, and for anyone wanting access to these seminal
texts.
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