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The causal structure of mechanisms
1Department of Philosophy, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW 2109, Australia. peter.menzies@mq.edu.au
Summary
This study refines mechanistic explanation in science by integrating the interventionist approach to causation. It introduces a modularity constraint crucial for understanding causal structures in fields like cognitive psychology.
Area of Science:
- Philosophy of Science
- Cognitive Psychology
- Biomedical Sciences
- Social Sciences
Background:
- Philosophers of science often identify mechanistic explanation as key in biomedical and social sciences.
- Existing accounts of mechanistic explanation inadequately detail its causal structure.
- Traditional accounts, like Craver's, offer insights but have omissions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide a more complete account of the causal structure of mechanistic explanation.
- To integrate the interventionist approach to causation into mechanistic explanation.
- To introduce and formalize a modularity constraint for mechanistic explanation.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing the interventionist approach to causation.
- Employing a structural equations framework to model causal relationships.
- Analyzing mechanistic explanation within the computational, information-processing paradigm of cognitive psychology.
Main Results:
- The interventionist/structural equations framework offers an elegant account of mechanistic causal structure.
- This framework corrects omissions in traditional accounts of mechanistic explanation.
- A modularity constraint is explicitly formulated and shown to be significant for mechanistic explanation.
Conclusions:
- The interventionist approach, via structural equations, provides a robust framework for mechanistic explanation.
- Formalizing a modularity constraint enhances our understanding of mechanisms.
- This framework is applicable to diverse scientific fields, including cognitive psychology.
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