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Palgrave Macmillan

The Thwarting of Laplace's Demon

Arguments Against the Mechanistic World-View

  • Book
  • © 1995

Overview

Authors:
  1. Richard Green

    1. Department of Philosophy, Monash University, Australia

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Table of contents (13 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xii
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  2. Introduction

    1. Introduction

      • Richard Green
      Pages 1-9

  3. An Overview

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 11-11
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    2. The Challenge of Laplace’s Demon

      • Richard Green
      Pages 13-40

    3. The Continuing Failure to Explain Life Mechanistically

      • Richard Green
      Pages 41-49

    4. Reasons for Thinking that Life is Non-Laplacean

      • Richard Green
      Pages 50-61

  4. The Ascent of Intelligence through Life

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 63-63
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    2. The Logic of Life

      • Richard Green
      Pages 65-80

    3. The Behaviour of Lower Organisms

      • Richard Green
      Pages 81-97

    4. The Infinite Resourcefulness of Human Intelligence

      • Richard Green
      Pages 98-116

    5. The Logic of Learning

      • Richard Green
      Pages 117-131

    6. The Mind

      • Richard Green
      Pages 132-148

    7. Indeterministic Causality

      • Richard Green
      Pages 149-164

  5. Non-Laplacean Biology

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 165-165
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    2. Vitalism Reappraised

      • Richard Green
      Pages 167-173

    3. The Non-Laplacean Underpinnings of Embryogenesis

      • Richard Green
      Pages 174-189

    4. Non-Laplacean Evolution

      • Richard Green
      Pages 190-203

  6. Back Matter

    Pages 204-229
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Keywords

About this book

Laplace (1849-1827) was the famous French astronomer and mathematician who outspokenly proposed that every occurrence is in every respect determined by laws of nature - that all that exists is determinate. This book aims to show how the mechanistic framework of ideas associated with modern science distorts our understanding not only of the human mind but of the fundamental attributes of life itself. Before we can rid ourselves of this distorting influence our very notion of causality needs to be clarified and changed. The book sets out a proposal of what is required. The book's many arguments have profound implications not only for philosophy, but for neuropsychology, biology and biophysics.

Reviews

`It is written with delicious clarity...this book will be a revelation to the intelligent general reader and the philosopher who wants to be better informed?' - Professor Raymond Tallis, Professor of Geriatric Medicine, University of Manchester

Authors and Affiliations

  • Department of Philosophy, Monash University, Australia

    Richard Green

About the author

RICHARD GREEN

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