Who Should Fear Type Epiphenomenalism? Cover Image

Kto powinien bać się epifenomenalizmu typów?
Who Should Fear Type Epiphenomenalism?

Author(s): Krzysztof Posłajko
Subject(s): Philosophy
Published by: Uniwersytet Warszawski - Wydział Filozofii i Socjologii, Instytut Filozofii
Keywords: philosophy of mind; epiphenomenalism; nominalism; causal exclusion

Summary/Abstract: The causal exclusion argument purports to show that various forms of nonreductive physicalism in philosophy of mind (including especially Davidson’s anomalous monism) inevitably lead to type epiphenomenalism, i.e. the view that mental properties are causally ineffective. In a recent paper, Mariusz Grygianiec claimed that a proponent of Davidson’s theory, as a nominalist, should be unmoved by considerations of that sort. The aim of this paper is to analyze this claim. It turns out that, given certain assumptions, both nominalist’s and realist’s position can be threatened by this charge, but the nominalist is better equipped to resist it.

  • Issue Year: 21/2013
  • Issue No: 4 (84)
  • Page Range: 79-90
  • Page Count: 12
  • Language: Polish