Normativism and Mental Causation
by
Justin Thomas Tiehen, B.A.
Dissertation
Presented to the Faculty of The Graduate School
of the University of Texas at Austin
in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements
for the Degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
The University of Texas at Austin
May 2007
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction ………………………………………………………………….... 1
Chapter 1. Divergences from Davidson...…………………………………….. 8
1.1 Objections to Davidson’s Argument…………………………………...... 9
1.1.1 OBJECTIONS TO THE TRUTH OF THE ARGUMENT’S PREMISES………………………………………………………………. 9
1.1.2 OBJECTIONS TO THE ARGUMENT’S VALIDITY……………. 11
1.1.3 OBJECTIONS TO THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE CONCLUSION ……………………………………………………………………………. 14
1.1.4 OBJECTIONS TO DAVIDSON’S VIEW OF MENTAL CAUSATION……...……………………………………….…………….. 15
1.2 Events……………………………………...……………………………… 16
1.3 The Causal Argument for Physicalism…………………………………… 17
1.3.1 WARRANT TRANSMISSION………………………………. 18
1.3.2 THE CAUSAL ARGUMENT’S GUIDING THOUGHT……. 22
1.3.3 THE METAPHYSICS BEHIND (P1) ………………………... 24
1.3.4 OVERDETERMINATION AND THE INDUCTIVE ARGUMENT FOR (P1) …………………………………………………………………. 26
1.3.5 EVIDENCE FROM THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES………….... 28
1.3.6 EVIDENCE FROM NEUROSCIENCE………………………... 34
1.3.7 CONCLUSION……………...…………….…………………… 38
1.4 Mental Causation……………………………….…………………… 38
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