Ebook166 pages4 hours
Cause and Effect, Conditionals, Explanations
Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
()
About this ebook
This series of books presents the fundamentals of reasoning well, in a style accessible to both students and scholars. The text of each essay presents a story, the main line of development of the ideas, while the footnotes and appendices place the research within a larger scholarly context. The essays overlap, forming a unified analysis of reasoning, yet each essay is designed so that it may be read independently of the others.
The topic of this volume is the evaluation of reasoning about cause and effect, reasoning using conditionals, and reasoning that involves explanations. The essay "Reasoning about Cause and Effect" sets out a way to analyze whether there is cause and effect in terms of whether an inference from a claim describing the purported cause to a claim describing the purported effect satisfies specific conditions. Different notions of cause and effect correspond to placing different conditions on what counts as a good causal inference. An application of that method in "The Directedness of Emotions" leads to a clearer understanding of the issue whether every emotion need be directed at something. In the essay "Conditionals" various ways of analyzing reasoning with claims of the form "if . . . then . . ." are surveyed. Some of those uses are meant to be judged as inferences that are not necessarily valid, and conditions are given for when we can consider such inferences to be good. In "Explanations" verbal answers to a question why a claim is true are evaluated in terms of conditions placed on inferences from the explaining claims to the claim being explained. Recognizing that the direction of inference of such an explanation is the reverse of that for an argument with the very same claims is crucial in their evaluation. Explanations in terms of functions and goals are also investigated.
The topic of this volume is the evaluation of reasoning about cause and effect, reasoning using conditionals, and reasoning that involves explanations. The essay "Reasoning about Cause and Effect" sets out a way to analyze whether there is cause and effect in terms of whether an inference from a claim describing the purported cause to a claim describing the purported effect satisfies specific conditions. Different notions of cause and effect correspond to placing different conditions on what counts as a good causal inference. An application of that method in "The Directedness of Emotions" leads to a clearer understanding of the issue whether every emotion need be directed at something. In the essay "Conditionals" various ways of analyzing reasoning with claims of the form "if . . . then . . ." are surveyed. Some of those uses are meant to be judged as inferences that are not necessarily valid, and conditions are given for when we can consider such inferences to be good. In "Explanations" verbal answers to a question why a claim is true are evaluated in terms of conditions placed on inferences from the explaining claims to the claim being explained. Recognizing that the direction of inference of such an explanation is the reverse of that for an argument with the very same claims is crucial in their evaluation. Explanations in terms of functions and goals are also investigated.
Read more from Richard L. Epstein
The Fundamentals of Argument Analysis Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsReasoning and Formal Logic Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Pocket Guide to Critical Thinking: Fifth Edition Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5An Introduction to Formal Logic: Second Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsReasoning in Science and Mathematics Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPrescriptive Reasoning Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow to Reason: A Practical Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow to Reason + Reasoning in the Sciences: A Practical Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsClassical Mathematical Logic: The Semantic Foundations of Logic Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Conventional Gestures: Meaning and Methodology Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5American Gestures: Say it with your hands! Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Cause and Effect, Conditionals, Explanations
Related ebooks
Prescriptive Reasoning Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCritical Thinking: An Introduction to Logic and Scientific Method Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLearning Logic: Critical Thinking With Intuitive Notation Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Critical Thinking: Inductive and Deductive Reasoning Explained Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Groundless Belief: An Essay on the Possibility of Epistemology - Second Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAn Introduction to Logic and Scientific Method Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Logic and Decision Making Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsForallx - An Introduction to Formal Logic Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHandbook of the Logic of Argument and Inference: The Turn Towards the Practical Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Logic: Its Proper Use [How To Think Logically] Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Art of Logic and Reasoning Power: Practical Logic: New Revised Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAbductive Reasoning Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Elements of Critical Thinking: The Critical Thinker, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGale Researcher Guide for: Overview of Intelligence, Critical Thinking, and Creative Thinking Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sequential Problem Solving A Student Handbook with Checklists for Successful Critical Thinking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How Logic Works: A User's Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLogic, Language, and Meaning, Volume 1: Introduction to Logic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Introducing Logic and Critical Thinking: The Skills of Reasoning and the Virtues of Inquiry Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Reason: A Practical Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCritical Thinking: Improve Your Academic Standards and Objectivity Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Don't Tell Me: Critical Thinking: What Is It and Can I Buy It Online? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPhilosophy & Ethics: Philosophical Approaches, Critical Thinking & Critical Analysis in Ethics. Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTools and Techniques for Critical Thinking: A Quick Reference Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Informal Logical Fallacies: A Brief Guide Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Acquisition of Complex Arithmetic Skills and Higher-Order Mathematics Concepts Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLogic: The Laws of Truth Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Philosophical Logic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sense and Syllogism: Logic in Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCritical Thinking: The Concept and Power of Thinking Critically Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Introduction to Logic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Philosophy For You
Daily Stoic: A Daily Journal On Meditation, Stoicism, Wisdom and Philosophy to Improve Your Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bhagavad Gita (in English): The Authentic English Translation for Accurate and Unbiased Understanding Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Little Book of Stoicism: Timeless Wisdom to Gain Resilience, Confidence, and Calmness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of Loving Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Allegory of the Cave Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Inward Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bhagavad Gita Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Complete Papyrus of Ani Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Course in Miracles: Text, Workbook for Students, Manual for Teachers Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fear: Essential Wisdom for Getting Through the Storm Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tao Te Ching: A New English Version Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mindfulness in Plain English: 20th Anniversary Edition Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Lessons of History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tao Te Ching: Six Translations Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Buddha's Guide to Gratitude: The Life-changing Power of Everyday Mindfulness Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Meditations: Complete and Unabridged Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Experiencing God (2021 Edition): Knowing and Doing the Will of God Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Courage to Be Happy: Discover the Power of Positive Psychology and Choose Happiness Every Day Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Brain Training with the Buddha: A Modern Path to Insight Based on the Ancient Foundations of Mindfulness Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Beyond Good and Evil Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Four Loves Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Cause and Effect, Conditionals, Explanations
Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
0 ratings
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Cause and Effect, Conditionals, Explanations - Richard L. Epstein
Enjoying the preview?
Page 1 of 1