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1Filled in spaceIn B. Gnassounou & M. Kistler (eds.), Dispositions Et Pouvoirs Causaux, Vrin. 2004.
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1649Dispositional ModalityIn C. F. Gethmann (ed.), Lebenswelt und Wissenschaft, Deutsches Jahrbuch Philosophie 2, Meiner Verlag. 2011.There has been much discussion of powers or real dispositions in the past decade, but there remains an issue that has been inadequately treated. This concerns the precise modal value that comes with dispositionality. We contend in this paper that dispositionality involves a non-alethic, sui generis, irreducible modality. Dispositions only tend towards their manifestations; they do not necessitate them. Tendency is, of course, a dispositional term itself, so this last statement offers little by w…Read more
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11Powers: A Study in Metaphysics (edited book)Clarendon Press. 2003.George Molnar came to see that the solution to a number of the problems of contemporary philosophy lay in the development of an alternative to Hume's metaphysics, with real causal powers at its centre. Molnar's eagerly anticipated book setting out his theory of powers was almost complete when he died, and has been prepared for publication by Stephen Mumford, who provides a context-setting introduction.
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25Causation: A Very Short IntroductionOxford University Press. 2013.Without cause and effect, there would be no science or technology, no moral responsibility, and no system of law. Causation is therefore the most fundamental connection in the universe and a core topic of philosophical thought. This Very Short Introduction introduces all of the main theories of causation and its key debates
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124MAX KISTLER Causation and Laws of Nature: Routledge Studies in Contemporary Philosophy (review)British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 64 (1): 223-227. 2013.
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403Laws and LawlessnessSynthese 144 (3): 397-413. 2005.I develop a metaphysical position that is both lawless and anti-Humean. The position is called realist lawlessness and contrasts with both Humean lawlessness and nomological realism – the claim that there are laws in nature. While the Humean view also allows no laws, realist lawlessness is not Humean because it accepts some necessary connections in nature between distinct properties. Realism about laws, on the other hand, faces a central dilemma. Either laws govern the behaviour of properties fr…Read more
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31Watching sport: aesthetics, ethics and emotionRoutledge, Taylor & Francis Group. 2012.Do we watch sport for pure dumb entertainment? While some people might do so, Stephen Mumford argues that it can be watched in other ways. Sport can be both a subject of high aesthetic values and a valid source for our moral education. The philosophy of sport has tended to focus on participation, but this book instead examines the philosophical issues around watching sport. Far from being a passive experience, we can all shape the way that we see sport. Delving into parallels with art and theatr…Read more
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71Powers as causal truthmakersDisputatio. Philosophical Research Bulletin 3 (4): 5--31. 2014.[EN]Most theories of causation assume that it must involve some kind of necessity, or that the cause must be entirely sufficient for the effect. Others have already suggested that it should be possible to get a theory of causation from a theory of powers or dispositions. Such a project is far from complete but even here we find that the key point in a dispositional theory of causation has been lacking. This paper attempts to establish some of the most important principles of such a theory and in…Read more
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109The true and the falseAustralasian Journal of Philosophy 83 (2). 2005.This Article does not have an abstract