Philosophical and Scientific Perspectives on Downward Causation

Michele Paolini Paoletti is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Macerata (Italy). He has published articles and books on several ontological issues (including the theory of fictional objects, negative facts, relations), on physicalism and emergentism (for example, his recent "How Powers Emerge from Relations" on Axiomathes).Francesco Orilia is a Professor of Logic and Philosophy of Language at the University of Macerata (Italy). His research focuses on ontology, logic, philosophy of language and mind. His recent publications include: Singular Reference. A Descriptivist Perspective (2010), "Positions, Ordering Relations, O-Roles" (2014), "Moderate Presentism" (2016).

• Chapter 1: Downward Causation: an Opinionated IntroductionMichele Paolini Paoletti and Francesco OriliaPart I: Downward Causation and the Metaphysics of Causation Chapter 2: Three Grades of Downward Causation Francesco Orilia and Michele Paolini PaolettiChapter 3: Downward CausationJohn HeilChapter 4: Higher Level, Downward and Specific CausationMax KistlerChapter 5: Powers and Downward CausationErasmus MayrChapter 6: Emergence and DemergenceRani Lill Anjum and Stephen MumfordChapter 7: Power Mereology, Structural Powers versus Substantial PowersAnna MarmodoroPart II: Downward Causation and the Sciences Chapter 8: The Use of Downward Causation in Condensed Matter PhysicsStewart J. Clark and Tom LancasterChapter 9: Prospects for Strong Emergence in ChemistryRobin F. HendryChapter 10: Causality and Levels of Explanation in BiologyMarta Bertolaso and Marco BuzzoniChapter 11: The Interlacing of Upward and Downward Causation in Complex Living Systems. On Interactions, Self-Organization, Emergency and WholenessLuciano BoiChapter 12: Top-Down Causation in Biology and Neuroscience: Control HierarchiesWilliam BechtelChapter 13: Early Complexity in Human DevelopmentFrançois Jouen and Michèle MolinaChapter 14: Scientific Emergentism and Its Move Beyond (Direct) Downward CausationCarl GillettPart III: Downward Causation, Mind and AgencyChapter 15: The Mental Causation Debate and Qua ProblemsSophie C. GibbChapter 16: Agent-Causation – Neither Upward Nor DownwardUwe MeixnerChapter 17 The Compatibility of Downward Causation and EmergenceSimone CozzanoChapter 18: The Views on Mental Downward CausationMario De Caro and Matteo Grasso

"Paolini Paoletti and Orilia's anthology, comprising eighteen chapters from European and American metaphysicians, philosophers of mind, philosophers of science, and scientists, offers a good sense of where things stand together with some interesting suggestions on how to move forward . . . The essays by and large try to foster a conversation between metaphysics and philosophy of science, to the benefit of both fields." -- Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews