Mechanistic Explanations in Physics and Beyond

Offers a philosophical discussion on mechanical explanations in physics and computer science

Features a comprehensive historical, methodological and problem-oriented investigation

Sheds new light on the topics of emergence and reduction in complex systems

Auteur
Brigitte Falkenburg is Professor for Philosophy at the Department of Philosophy and Political Science at the Technische Universität Dortmund. She holds a diploma in physics, a PhD in Philosophy and a 2nd PhD in Physics. Her areas of specialization are: philosophy of science and technology, history of philosophy (Kant, Hegel, Neo-Kantianism). Selected publications: Mythos Determinismus (Heidelberg: Springer 2012); Particle Metaphysics (Berlin/Heidelberg: Springer 2007); Kants Kosmologie (Frankfurt am Main: Klostermann 2000); Wem dient die Technik? Johann Joachim Becher-Preis 2002. Ed. by the J.J.Becher-Stiftung (Baden-Baden: Nomos 2004). As editor: Why More is Different (with M. Morrison) (Berlin/Heidelberg: Springer 2015); From Ultrarays to Astroparticles (with W. Rhode) (Dordrecht: Springer 2012); Natur Technik Kultur (Paderborn: Mentis 2007); Erhard Scheibe: Between Rationalism and Empiricism. Selected Papers in the Philosophy of Physics (New York: Springer 2001).
Gregor Schiemann is Professor for Philosophy at the Department of Philosophy at the Bergische Universität in Wuppertal. He holds a diploma in physics and a PhD in Philosophy. His areas of specialization are: history and philosophy of science, the concept of nature and the relation between science and lifeworld. Selected publications: Hermann von Helmholtz's Mechanism: The Loss of Certainty (Dordrecht: Springer, 2009); Werner Heisenberg (München: Beck, 2008); as editor and author (with M. Heidelberger) The Significance of the Hypothetical in the Natural Sciences. (Berlin/New York: de Gruyter, 2009), (with A. Nordmann and H. Radder) Science Transformed? Debating claims of an epochal break (Pittsburgh : University of Pittsburgh Press, 2011); as editor (with D. Lehmkuhl and E. Scholz) Towards a Theory of Spacetime Theories (Dordrecht: Springer, 2017).

Contenu
Part I: INTRODUCTION.- Introduction.- Part II: HISTORICAL APPROACHES.- Chpater 1: Stathis Psillos: Mechanisms, Then and Now.- Chapter 2: Brigitte Falkenburg: Mechanistic Explanations: History, Scope, and Limitations.- Chapter 3: Gregor Schiemann: Old and New Mechanistic Explanations.- Part III: GENERAL QUESTIONS.- Chapter 4: Michel Ghins: Mechanistic Explanation: An Extension and a Defence.- Chapter 5: Marco Buzzoni: Multilevel Reality and Mechanistic Explanations.- Chapter 6: Jan Faye: Causal Mechanism, Complexity, and the Environment.- Chapter 7: Paul Weingartner: Is Every Causal Explanation a Mechanistic Explanation?.- Chapter 8: Hans Lenk: About the New Mechanistical Turn of Causal Epistemology.- Part IV: MECHANISMS IN PHYSICS AND COMPUTER SCIENCE.- Chapter 9: Dennis Dieks: Explanation and Mechanisms in Physics.- Chapter 10: Ion-Olimpiu Stamatescu: Explanation, the Progress of Physical Theories, and Computer Simulations.- Chapter 11: Itala M. Loffredo D'Ottaviano: Autonomous Action in Complex Mechanical Systems: A Real Dilemma?.- Chapter 12: Vinzenco Fano: Computation and Reality.