'Paradox' of Mental Causation

Developing a theory of mental causation involves the§challenge of reconciling the seemingly incompatible§tenets of human rationality and causal mechanism.§"The Paradox of Mental Causation: Solutions from§Anomalous Monism and Direct Realism" provides a§critical examination of two theories that share§little beyond their conviction that mental causation§is not paradoxical. In this book, the forty years §worth of essays that comprise Donald Davidson s§theory of Anomalous Monism are examined as a§conceptual whole according to which an§ontological-conceptual distinction between events and§their properties forms the basis for solving the§paradox. Direct Realism is then introduced and with§it the thesis that human rationality is a natural§consequence of one s sensitivity to the logical§features present in natural environments. These very§different solutions provide the materials for an§exploration of determinism, realism, supervenience,§relations, universality and particularity as they§each pertain to the question of how minds are§enmeshed with the causal processes of the natural§world. This book is addressed to an audience of§academics and students of the philosophy of mind.