Publisher Description

Ehring shows the inadequacy of received theories of causation, and, introducing conceptual devices of his own, provides a wholly new account of causation as the persistence over time of individual properties, or "tropes."

Author Biography

Douglas Ehring is at Southern Methodist University.

Review

"Ehring's new book is the single most significant advance in the philosophical debate about the nature of causality in the last decade or more. It not only faces the most serious problems--like causal preemption and the direction of causation--it moves towards creative and persuasive solutions to them. It will have an appeal well beyond the narrow specialist."--Alexander Rosenberg, University of Georgia"A high-quality philosophical work on a topic of central importance."--David Papineau, Kings College, London"This book ranks with the best of contemporary work on the metaphysics of causation, both because of its thorough and unified treatment of the literature and because its author faces head-on the most difficult foundational questions about causality: How, at the most basic level, do causes bring about their effects? What are the mechanisms operating in the world to bind its parts together? Ehring's answers to these questions are clear, original, and supported bysophisticated arguments."--The Philosophical Review"Ehring's new book is the single most significant advance in the philosophical debate about the nature of causality in the last decade or more. It not only faces the most serious problems--like causal preemption and the direction of causation--it moves towards creative and persuasive solutions to them. It will have an appeal well beyond the narrow specialist, to graduate students and advanced undergraduates in metaphysics, philosophy of psychology, philosophyof natural and social science and in the social sciences themselves."--Alexander Rosenberg, University of Georgia"A high-quality philosophical work on a topic of central importance."--David Papineau, Kings College, London"Douglas Ehring's intelligent and provocative account of causation connects cause and effect in the strongest way."--Times Literary Supplement"...anyone interested in the nature of causation should read Ehring's book....Without question, his book is a valuable addition to the existing literature on causation."--International Philosophical Quarterly

Long Description

Ehring shows the inadequacy of received theories of causation, and, introducing conceptual devices of his own, provides a wholly new account of causation as the persistence over time of individual properties, or "tropes."

Review Text

"Ehring's new book is the single most significant advance in the philosophical debate about the nature of causality in the last decade or more. It not only faces the most serious problems--like causal preemption and the direction of causation--it moves towards creative and persuasive solutions to them. It will have an appeal well beyond the narrow specialist."--Alexander Rosenberg, University of Georgia
"A high-quality philosophical work on a topic of central importance."--David Papineau, Kings College, London
"This book ranks with the best of contemporary work on the metaphysics of causation, both because of its thorough and unified treatment of the literature and because its author faces head-on the most difficult foundational questions about causality: How, at the most basic level, do causes bring about their effects? What are the mechanisms operating in the world to bind its parts together? Ehring's answers to these questions are clear, original, and supported by
sophisticated arguments."--The Philosophical Review
"Ehring's new book is the single most significant advance in the philosophical debate about the nature of causality in the last decade or more. It not only faces the most serious problems--like causal preemption and the direction of causation--it moves towards creative and persuasive solutions to them. It will have an appeal well beyond the narrow specialist, to graduate students and advanced undergraduates in metaphysics, philosophy of psychology, philosophy
of natural and social science and in the social sciences themselves."--Alexander Rosenberg, University of Georgia
"A high-quality philosophical work on a topic of central importance."--David Papineau, Kings College, London
"Douglas Ehring's intelligent and provocative account of causation connects cause and effect in the strongest way."--Times Literary Supplement
"...anyone interested in the nature of causation should read Ehring's book....Without question, his book is a valuable addition to the existing literature on causation."--International Philosophical Quarterly

Review Quote

"This book ranks with the best of contemporary work on the metaphysics of causation, both because of its thorough and unified treatment of the literature and because its author faces head-on the most difficult foundational questions about causality: How, at the most basic level, do causesbring about their effects? What are the mechanisms operating in the world to bind its parts together? Ehring's answers to these questions are clear, original, and supported by sophisticated arguments."--The Philosophical Review

Details