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Determinism, indeterminism, and explanatory bias

M Targett1

  • 1Department of Philosophy, University College London, U.K.

Progress in Neurobiology
|January 9, 1998
PubMed
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This study explores human behavior, distinguishing between deterministic and libertarian views on actions. It argues for explanatory pluralism, integrating various causal factors over individualistic explanations for a comprehensive understanding of behavior.

Area of Science:

  • Philosophy of Mind
  • Neuroscience
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Human actions are complex behaviors influenced by mental and neural processes.
  • Libertarianism posits individual influence beyond psychoneural events, while determinism suggests necessary causal connections.
  • Modern physics challenges strict determinism, yet libertarian free will remains conceptually unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze the philosophical underpinnings of human action and behavior explanation.
  • To critically evaluate the concepts of determinism, libertarianism, and explanatory individualism.
  • To propose and justify explanatory pluralism as a more robust framework for understanding behavior.

Main Methods:

  • Philosophical analysis of concepts related to action, free will, and determinism.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Critique of "explanatory individualism" and its reliance on individual choices.
  • Argumentation for "explanatory pluralism" by contrasting it with other approaches.

    • Main Results:

    • Libertarianism's concept of personal influence over action remains obscure, even if determinism is false.
    • Explanatory individualism, focusing solely on individual choices, lacks sufficient grounding.
    • Bare indeterminism does not adequately support individualistic explanations of behavior.

    Conclusions:

    • Explanatory pluralism offers a more justifiable approach by not prioritizing individualistic explanations.
    • This doctrine denies the intrinsic superiority of individualistic over psychoneural, environmental, social, or genetic explanations.
    • A sensible pluralism acknowledges that deterministic or indeterministic descriptions of actions are not inherently "genetic" or "individualistic" respectively.