NoveltyThe question of causality has haunted the history of Western metaphysics since the time of the Pre-Socratic philosophy. Hand-in-hand with attempts to address this question is the promise of unlocking larger and more complicated questions pertaining to human freedom. But what of novelty? In this brilliant extended essay Donald A. Crosby contends that though novelty can't be comprehended without efficient causality, causality requires a concept of novelty; without it cause and effect relations are unintelligible and, indeed, impossible. Crosby, in an excellent, strong, and controversial way makes the claim that freedom is consciously directed novelty. In this way, novelty is distinctive; it is not to be mistaken with either unexpected intersections of causal chains or chaos. Crosby exposes the reality of novelty throughout the book and how it applies to time, possibility, forms of materiality and embodiment, the emergence of life from nonlife, the evloution and nature of consciousness, the methods and goals of education, the character of human history and the task of historians, and also the traits of a good society. In situating novelty so firmly in the crevices of daily life, Crosby connects it to our concept of ourself, our freedom, and how we understand our relationship to the world. Through masterful readings of Isaiah Berlin, Buber, Descartes, Plato, Smart, Whitehead, and especially Henri Bergson Donald Crosby sheds new light on an elusive yet foundational concept in the history of Western thought. This book is essential to process philosophy, humanism, existentialism, philosophy of mind and consciousness, and continental thought in general. |
Contents
ROLES OF NOVELTY | 1 |
THE TOOTH OF TIME | 15 |
CHANGING POSSIBILITY | 27 |
PROTEAN MATTER | 37 |
PROFUSE LIFE | 47 |
PURPOSIVE MIND | 67 |
EVOCATIONAL EDUCATION | 81 |
OPEN SOCIETY | 99 |
119 | |
123 | |
ABOUT THE AUTHOR | |
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Common terms and phrases
acts actualities alternatives aspects autocatalytic awareness become Bergson biological evolution biological organisms capable capacity causal determinism cause cells chance chapter character choices complex concept of novelty consciousness context course creative critical cultures deterministic distinctive earth effect efficient causal emergence entities environment especially eukaryotic evolutionary evolved experience explain fact factors formalist forms of matter free actions fundamental future genuine Henri Bergson historians human freedom human history important individual innovations interac interactions Johnjoe McFadden kind laws material means metaphysical molecules moral mutations natural selection nature nonlinear novel one's ongoing open societies outcomes outlooks personal freedom philosophers Plato present principles produce pure possibility quantum quantum indeterminacy quantum measurement quantum Zeno effect realm relations responsibility role of novelty self-replicating social space Stuart Kauffman teachers teaching temporal things thought tion tive traits understanding unique universe whole world machine