Physicalism, the philosophical foundations / Jeffrey Poland.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Poland, Jeffrey Stephen.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Materialism.

Knowledge, Theory of.

Science--Philosophy.

Science.

Physical Description:

viii, 384 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Oxford : Clarendon Press ; New York : Oxford University Press, 1994.

Summary:

Physicalism is a program for building a unified system of knowledge about the world on the basis of the view that everything is a manifestation of the physical aspects of existence. Jeffrey Poland presents a systematic and comprehensive exploration of the philosophical foundations of this program. He investigates the core ideas, motivating values, and presuppositions of physicalism; the constraints upon an adequate formulation of physicalist doctrine; the epistemological and modal status, the scope, and the methodological roles of physicalist principles. He reviews and evaluates major objections to the program, and considers its significance for philosophy, science, society, and individual persons. He also examines the relations between physicalism and other philosophical positions, such as realism, empiricism, and relativism, and suggests that physicalism is compatible with a tolerant pluralism in the philosophical, cultural, and personal domains.

Contents:

1. The Problem of Formulation 10

1.2. Core Ideas and Values 14

1.3. Gratuitous Associations 37

1.4. Criteria for Assessing Physicalism 42

2. Review of Past Formulations 45

2.1. Reductionist Approaches 46

2.2. Non-Reductionist Approaches 74

2.3. Diagnosis and Conclusions 104

3. Identification of the Physical Bases 109

3.1. Bases for Ontology, Ideology, and Doctrine 110

3.2. Presupposition 1: Divisions between Branches of Science 134

3.3. Presupposition 2: Determinacy of the Bases 147

3.4. Presupposition 3: The Privileged Status of Physics 176

4. The Theses of Physicalism 186

4.1. Ontological Dependence, Supervenience, and Realization 187

4.2. Determination of Fact and Truth 199

4.3. Vertical Explanation and Realization Theories 206

5. The Metatheses of Physicalism 225

5.1. Physicalism and the Natural Order 226

5.2. A Posteriori Status and Its Problems 232

5.3. Methodological Roles and the Resolution of Conflict 245

5.4. Necessity, Contingency, and Physicalist Principles 266

6. Assessment of the Physicalist Programme 284

6.1. Adequate Expression of the Core Ideas and Values 285

6.2. Challenges to the Acceptability of Physicalism 286

6.3. Prospects for Success of the Physicalist Programme 340

7. Significance of the Physicalist Programme 347

7.1. Physicalism and Philosophy 348

7.2. Physicalism and Science 354

7.3. Physicalism and Culture 356

7.4. Physicalism and the Individual 360.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0198249802

OCLC:

28420740