Top-Down Causation and Emergence

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xvi

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2. Applications of George Ellis’s Theory of Causation

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

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   2. Physical, Logical, and Mental Top-Down Effects

      • George F. R. Ellis, Markus Gabriel

      Pages 3-37

   3. Making Sense of Top-Down Causation: Universality and Functional Equivalence in Physics and Biology

      • Sara Green, Robert W. Batterman

      Pages 39-63

   4. Mathematics and Measurement: Causation and the Mind

      • Otávio Bueno

      Pages 65-75

3. The View from Physics

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 77-77

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   2. Strong Emergence in Condensed Matter Physics

      • Barbara Drossel

      Pages 79-99

   3. On the Topic of Emergence from an Effective Field Theory Perspective

      • Thomas Luu, Ulf-G. Meißner

      Pages 101-114

4. The View from the Life Sciences

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 115-115

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   2. The Principle of Biological Relativity: Origins and Current Status

      • Denis Noble

      Pages 117-133

   3. A Macro Agent and Its Actions

      • Larissa Albantakis, Francesco Massari, Maggie Beheler-Amass, Giulio Tononi

      Pages 135-155

   4. Physics, Determinism, and the Brain

      • George F. R. Ellis

      Pages 157-214

5. The Debate on Top-Down Causation and Emergence

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 215-215

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   2. Downward Causation Defended

      • James Woodward

      Pages 217-251

   3. A Pragmatist Perspective on Causation, Laws and Explanation

      • Richard Healey

      Pages 253-268

   4. Top-Down Causation Without Levels

      • Jan Voosholz

      Pages 269-296

   5. Causation as a High-Level Affair

      • Simon Friederich, Sach Mukherjee

      Pages 297-304

   6. Models of Downward Causation

      • Max Kistler

      Pages 305-326

6. Responses

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 327-327

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   2. Responses to Part I: Applications of George Ellis’s Theory of Causation

      • George F. R. Ellis

      Pages 329-344

This book presents the latest research, conducted by leading philosophers and scientists from various fields, on the topic of top-down causation. The chapters combine to form a unique, interdisciplinary perspective, drawing upon George Ellis's extensive research and novel perspectives on topics including downwards causation, weak and strong emergence, mental causation, biological relativity, effective field theory and levels in nature. The collection also serves as a Festschrift in honour of George Ellis' 80th birthday. The extensive and interdisciplinary scope of this book makes it vital reading for anyone interested in the work of George Ellis and current research on the topics of causation and emergence.

• downwards causation
• top-down causation
• weak and strong emergence
• causal closure of the universe
• mental causation
• biological relativity
• integrated information theory
• condensed matter physics
• effective field theory
• levels in nature

• Center for Science and Thought, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany

  Jan Voosholz, Markus Gabriel

Jan Voosholz is a PhD candidate in philosophy and research associate at the Center for Science and Thought, Universität Bonn. His research focuses on questions of ontology, epistemology and philosophy of science. In his PhD project, he strives to understand the consequences of Quentin Meillassoux's speculative realism and Markus Gabriel's new realism for the philosophy of science in general and the debate concerning realism and antirealism in particular. For research stays, he has spent time at the Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, and received a M.A. in philosophy and a B.A. in history from the Freie Universität Berlin.



Markus Gabriel is professor for philosophy at the Univeristät Bonn, holding the chair for epistemology, modern and contemporary philosophy. In ontology, he has been one of the frontline proponents of new realism, with his fields of sense ontology widely regarded as a key innovation in theoretical philosophy, worked extensively in epistemology and pioneered neo-existentialism in philosophy of mind. Apart from this, aesthetics, philosophy of religion, German idealism (most prominently Schelling), ancient philosophy, as well as philosophy of the 20th century can be counted amongst his areas of expertise. He was professor at the New School for Social Research, New York, and visiting professor at various universities, for instance Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, University of California Berkeley, Universidade Federal do Ceará Fortaleza, and many others. He is head of the International Centre for Philosophy NRW and the Center for Science and Thought at the Universität Bonn.

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