2001 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Logical and Philosophical Study Concerning the Structure of the Causal Inference about Actions
| Project/Area Number |
11610011
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Philosophy
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| Research Institution | Hokkai-Gakuen University |
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Principal Investigator |
SUZUKI Misako Hokkai Gakuen University, Faculty of Law, Associate Professor, 法学部, 助教授 (50242300)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1999 – 2001
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| Keywords | action / singular causal sentence / adverb-dropping inference / individuation of event / causal relation / event / action sentence / event-ontology |
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| Research Abstract |
The central theme of this research project is to understand the structure of causal reasoning concerning actions. To analyze human actions philosophically modern philosophers usually use Davidsonian way of analysis. This research attempted to examine and investigate this controversial type of analysis, especially the problem of so-called adverb-dropping inference. It is the points of issue are that (1)Davidsonian analysis does not consider the level of individuation of actions and events, and (2)it can not describe the action sentences well.
The main result obtained by this project is the following.
(1) The adverb-dropping inference does not drop its adverb from the modified sentence, but only generalizes its sentence . Then its adverb is merely substituted for the description which explains relevant action more generally.
(2) In the causal statements, one action as a cause and other action as an effect make a causal relation by their fulfillment of a certain condition. So, if the condition is generalized, the causal relation itself cannot hold. Because they cannot fulfill the condition.
(3) To make an adverb-dropping inferences by causal sentences naturally it is necessary that we describe the generalized condition of the causal relation well by the individuation diagram of relevant action sentences.
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