Causality and Mechanisms in Philosophy of Science

International Workshop, Bern, November 24-25 2011

organized by Raphael Scholl and Kärin Nickelsen

Participants

Michael Baumgartner (Konstanz), Alex Broadbent (Johannesburg), Lorenzo Casini (Kent), Jens Harbecke (Witten), Kärin Nickelsen (Munich), Tim Räz (Lausanne), Raphael Scholl (Bern), Marcel Weber (Geneva), Jon Williamson (Kent)

Downloads

Detailed Programme (pdf)

Venue

University of Bern
UniS, Room A-119
Schanzeneckstrasse 1
3012 Bern

Direction from the Bern railway station to the workshop venue.

Objective

The objective of the workshop is to bring into closer contact two traditions in philosophy of science: One is concerned with the ontology and epistemology of causality, while the other is concerned with the ontology and epistemology of mechanisms. In an informal setting, we will address questions concerning the conceptual foundations of causality and mechanism. What, if anything, distinguishes a mechanism from a causal process? Do the two notions collapse upon analysis, or is there a useful distinction to be made? Further, we will discuss questions concerning discovery and confirmation: What is the role of causal inference in the confirmation of mechanisms? How do methods of causal inference – which may be agnostic as to mechanisms – and mechanistic investigations intersect? Do we infer mechanisms by other methods than those of causal inference? Finally, we are interested in the role that causal and mechanistic knowledge plays in explanations: Is any well-confirmed causal knowledge sufficient to provide scientific explanations, or do genuine explanations need to be underpinned by mechanistic knowledge?

The workshop will be organized around published or unpublished essays or around short presentations given by the participants. The participation of interested students from the sciences, philosophy or HPS is encouraged.

This workshop is funded by