PHILOSOPHY PATHWAYS Issue 225

The problem of Causation is an aspect of the problem of change which has deep roots, going back to Parmenides. In my opinion, Plato 'corrected' Parmenides in the Sophist (237b-249a). Yet philosophers continued to wrangle with the puzzles of change and causation. For this issue of Philosophy Pathways I chose three papers, from David Hume, F.H. Bradley, and Bertrand Russell. Hume defines the problem; Bradley regards causation as part of the unreality of Appearance (Parmenides' Way of Seeming) to be transcended in Reality; Russell finds that science has no need for the notion of cause: he does not touch on the metaphysical dimension of the problem. Among modern philosophers Bergson and Whitehead take the bull by its horns: they find change and process in the very heart of Reality, which, to my mind, is in agreement with Plato's mature position.

The link below download the PDF of my latest, almost certainly my last, book: In Praise of Philosophical Ignorance (formerly Back to Socrates), which I invite you to download and read.

This is all I think necessary to observe concerning those four relations, which are the foundation of science; but as to the other three, which depend not upon the idea, and may be absent or present even while that remains the same, 'twill be proper to explain them more particularly. These three relations are identity, the situations in time and place, and causation [...]

The traditional conception of cause and effect is one which modern science shows to be fundamentally erroneous, and requiring to be replaced by a quite different notion, that of laws of change. In the traditional conception, a particular event A caused a particular event B, and by this it was implied that, given any event B, some earlier event A could be discovered which had a relation to it, such that (1) Whenever A occurred, it was followed by B; (2) In this sequence, there was something 'necessary', not a mere de facto occurrence of A first and then B [...]

The object of this chapter is merely to point out, first, the main discrepancy in causation, and, in the second place, to exhibit an obstacle coming from time's continuity. Some other aspects of the general question will be considered in later chapters [...]

List members are reminded that abstracts for short papers to be delivered at the conference Dualism in the Twenty-First Century, Budapest, will be accepted until 30th September.

Event Outline: Mind-body dualism underwent a renaissance in the last part of the twentieth century. Several arguments challenged the capacity of physicalism to accommodate mental phenomena, especially conscious experience. Dualism was widely considered the leading alternative. Since then, sophisticated responses to arguments against physicalism have been developed, and nonphysicalist views other than dualism, including idealism and Russellian monism have received renewed interest. This conference will examine the prospects for dualism in the twenty-first century in light of the latest research, including the arguments for and against dualism; the relative merits of dualism, and other nonphysicalist positions in the metaphysics of mind; and the relationship between dualism and wider issues in philosophy.

Location: Central European University, Budapest & Pazmany Peter University, Budapest (tbc)

Tim Crane
Kati Farkas
Benedikt Paul Gocke
Balazs Mezei
Hedda Hassel Morch
Martine Nida-Rumelin
David Pitt
Howard Robinson
Richard Swinburne
Janos Tozser

Abstracts for short papers by graduate students and early career researchers of no more than five hundred words should be sent to Ralph Weir at rsw45@cam.ac.uk; emails should have the title 'Dualism in the Twenty-First Century Short Paper'. Bursaries of up to 200, covering travel and accommodation will be provided for short paper presenters. Submissions should include the name and affiliation of the author, and should exhibit the highest standards of clarity and rigour, engagement with recent scholarship, and an interest in questions of real human concern. The deadline for submissions of abstracts is 30th September 2018. The organisers will notify successful authors within one week of this date.

Information for persons wishing to attend this event without delivering a paper will be made available by 30th September 2018.

This event is part of the project Science, Theology, and Humane Philosophy: Central and Eastern European Perspectives. It is sponsored by the John Templeton Foundation; the Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion, University of Oxford; Pazmany Peter Catholic University; the Central European University; the Hungarian Academy of Sciences; the Ruhr University Bochum; the University of Lincoln, and the Humane Philosophy Project.

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