Explanation in Action Theory and Historiography

Is the appropriate form of human action explanation causal or rather teleological? This volume brings together causalists and anti-causalists to address enduring philosophical questions at the heart of this debate, as well as their implications for the practice of historiography.

Gunnar Schumann is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at FernUniversität in Hagen, Germany

1. Introduction Gunnar Schumann Part I: Causal vs. Teleological Explanation of Action 2. Causalism: On Action Explanation and Causal Deviance Alfred Mele 3. Why and How? Teleological and Causal Concepts in Action Explanation George F. Schueler 4. Rationalizing Principles and Causal Explanation Guido Löhrer and Scott R. Sehon 5. On an Imaginary Dialogue Between a Causalist and an Anti-causalist Giuseppina D'Oro 6. Reasons, Causes, Desires, and Dispositions Severin Schroeder 7. Objectivism and Causalism about Reasons for Action Hans-Johann Glock and Eva Schmidt 8. Are Reasons Like Shampoo? Constanine Sandis Part II: Causal vs. Teleological Explanation in Historiography 9. Counterfactual Causality and Historical Explanations Doris Gerber 10. Beyond Causalism and Acausalism Harold Kincaid 11. Two Methods in History Thomas Keutner 12. An Anti-causal Theory of Action as Basis for Historical Explanations. A Sketch Gunnar Schumann 13. Meanings and Mechanisms: An Actor-centered Approach to Historical Explanation Daniel Little 14. The Origins of Historiographic Causation Aviezer Tucker