The Volitional Theory of Causation: From Berkeley to the Twentieth Century

The volitional theory of causation is a philosophical proposal that volition, or will, should be taken as the basis for all causality. It has been proposed and developed throughout the modern era, but its obscurity is only a recent phenomenon. The book discusses the theory's supporters and critics, including Berkeley, Hume, Reid, Maine de Biran, Schopenhauer, Mansel, Mill, Martineau, Alexander Campbell Fraser, Borden Parker Bowne, and G.F. Stout, and considers its philosophical merits.

Format: Hardback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 09 February 2023
Publisher: Oxford University Press

The volitional theory of causation, a philosophical proposal that posits that the will, or volition, of the same or broadly similar stamp as that which we experience in our own deliberate and voluntary actions, should serve as the foundation for all causality, is explored in this book. Few people today are familiar with this theory, and even fewer have given it the attention it deserves. However, if current opinion considers this suggestion as an unusual one, of minor importance, the historical record reveals otherwise, showing that it is a theory that has been proposed and developed repeatedly throughout the modern era. Its obscurity is a recent phenomenon. Beginning at the dawn of the Early Modern period and continuing into the modern times, the historical discussion encompasses both supporters and critics, as well as both famous and less well-known figures, to recount the story of a long-running debate that contemporary history of philosophy has forgotten. The primary figures discussed in this book are Berkeley, Hume, Reid, Maine de Biran, Schopenhauer, Mansel, Mill, Martineau, Alexander Campbell Fraser, Borden Parker Bowne, and G.F. Stout, although numerous other philosophers are also considered. The book concludes with a consideration of the philosophical merits of this theory.

The volitional theory of causation, a philosophical proposal that posits that the will, or volition, of the same or broadly similar stamp as that which we experience in our own deliberate and voluntary actions, should serve as the foundation for all causality, is explored in this book. Few people today are familiar with this theory, and even fewer have given it the attention it deserves. However, if current opinion considers this suggestion as an unusual one, of minor importance, the historical record reveals otherwise, showing that it is a theory that has been proposed and developed repeatedly throughout the modern era. Its obscurity is a recent phenomenon. Beginning at the dawn of the Early Modern period and continuing into the modern times, the historical discussion encompasses both supporters and critics, as well as both famous and less well-known figures, to recount the story of a long-running debate that contemporary history of philosophy has forgotten. The primary figures discussed in this book are Berkeley, Hume, Reid, Maine de Biran, Schopenhauer, Mansel, Mill, Martineau, Alexander Campbell Fraser, Borden Parker Bowne, and G.F. Stout, although numerous other philosophers are also considered. The book concludes with a consideration of the philosophical merits of this theory.

Weight: 600g
Dimension: 241 x 161 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780192867537