Malaterre, Christophe (2011) Making Sense of Downward Causation in Manipulationism. With Illustrations from Cancer Research. History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences, 33 (4). pp. 537-562.
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Abstract
Many researchers consider cancer to have molecular causes, namely mutated genes that result in abnormal cell proliferation (e.g. Weinberg 1998); yet for others, the causes of cancer are to be found not at the molecular level but at the tissue level and carcinogenesis would consist in a disrupted tissue organization with downward causation effects on cells and cellular components (e.g. Sonnenschein & Soto 2008). In this contribution, I ponder how to make sense of such downward causation claims. Adopting a manipulationist account of causation (Woodward 2003), I propose a formal definition of downward causation, and discuss further requirements (in light of Baumgartner 2009). I then show that such an account cannot be mobilized in support of non-reductive physicalism (contrary to Raatikainen 2010). However, I also argue that such downward causation claims might point at particularly interesting dynamic properties of causal relationships that might prove salient in characterizing causal relationships (following Woodward 2010).
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| Item Type: | Published Article or Volume | ||||||
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| Keywords: | Downward causation, manipulationism, levels of causation, causal granularity, cancer research | ||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Biology > Molecular Biology/Genetics General Issues > Causation |
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| Depositing User: | Christophe Malaterre | ||||||
| Date Deposited: | 11 Apr 2013 11:56 | ||||||
| Last Modified: | 11 Apr 2013 11:56 | ||||||
| Item ID: | 9667 | ||||||
| Journal or Publication Title: | History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences | ||||||
| Official URL: | http://www.hpls-szn.com/articles.asp?id=145&book=3... | ||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Biology > Molecular Biology/Genetics General Issues > Causation |
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| Date: | 2011 | ||||||
| Page Range: | pp. 537-562 | ||||||
| Volume: | 33 | ||||||
| Number: | 4 | ||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/9667 |
Available Versions of this Item
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Making Sense of Downward Causation in Manipulationism.
With Illustrations from Cancer Research. (deposited 26 Oct 2011 11:38)
- Making Sense of Downward Causation in Manipulationism. With Illustrations from Cancer Research. (deposited 11 Apr 2013 11:56) [Currently Displayed]
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