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Causal Exclusion and Causal Autonomism |
CAI Weixin( ) |
Department of Philosophy, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, V5A 1S6, Canada |
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Abstract The causal exclusion problem is often considered as one of the major difficulties for which non-reductive physicalists have no easy solution to offer. Some non-reductive physicalists address this problem by arguing that mental properties are to some extent causally autonomous. If this is the case, then mental properties will not be causally excluded by their physical realizers because causation, in general, is a relation between properties of the same level. In this paper, I argue that the response from causal autonomy cannot be successful for two reasons. First, it does not offer a satisfactory explanation for how mental particulars can have causal efficacy in a non-reductive physicalist framework. Second, the causal considerations underpinning this response do not really support the conclusion that mental properties are causally autonomous.
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Keywords
non-reductive physicalism
causal exclusion
causal autonomism
interventionism
mental particulars
token causatio
propostionality requirement
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Issue Date: 25 September 2018
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