List, Christian (2023) Levels of Description and Levels of Reality: A General Framework. [Preprint]
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Abstract
This expository paper presents a general framework for representing levels and inter-level relations. The framework is intended to capture both epistemic and ontological notions of levels and to clarify the sense in which levels of explanation might or might not be related to a levelled ontology. The framework also allows us to study and compare different kinds of inter-level relations, especially supervenience and reduction but also grounding and mereological constitution. This, in turn, enables us to explore questions such as whether supervenience implies explanatory reducibility and whether there can be irreducible higher-level explanations or even “emergent” higher-level properties. The paper finally discusses some further philosophical applications: to the free-will debate, the determinism-indeterminism distinction, indexicality and consciousness, and the relationship between positive and normative facts.
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| Item Type: | Preprint | ||||||
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| Keywords: | Levels of description, levels of explanation, levels of reality, supervenience, reduction, grounding, constitution, emergence | ||||||
| Subjects: | General Issues > Scientific Metaphysics General Issues > Explanation General Issues > Reductionism/Holism |
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| Depositing User: | Christian List | ||||||
| Date Deposited: | 14 Sep 2023 19:43 | ||||||
| Last Modified: | 14 Sep 2023 19:43 | ||||||
| Item ID: | 22550 | ||||||
| Subjects: | General Issues > Scientific Metaphysics General Issues > Explanation General Issues > Reductionism/Holism |
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| Date: | 13 September 2023 | ||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/22550 |
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Levels of Description and Levels of Reality: A General Framework. (deposited 29 Aug 2022 14:18)
- Levels of Description and Levels of Reality: A General Framework. (deposited 14 Sep 2023 19:43) [Currently Displayed]
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