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1 - Introduction

from Section 1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 April 2020

By
Peter Zachar
Edited by
Kenneth S. Kendler ,
Josef Parnas  and
Peter Zachar
Kenneth S. Kendler
Affiliation:
Virginia Commonwealth University
Josef Parnas
Affiliation:
University of Copenhagen
Peter Zachar
Affiliation:
Auburn University, Montgomery
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Summary

Bill Bechtel is rare breed of philosopher whose writings on mechanistic models are afforded as much respect by scientists in biology and psychology as they are by philosophers. Earlier in his career Bechtel (1988a, 1988b) published two short books written largely for psychologists titled Philosophy of Mind: An Overview for Cognitive Science and Philosophy of Science: An Overview for Cognitive Science. These books demonstrated that he is adept at writing for a cross-disciplinary audience. His work on mechanisms, however, is of a decidedly technical nature, and nevertheless highly admired outside the philosophy of science.

Type
Chapter
Information
Levels of Analysis in Psychopathology
Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives
 , pp. 21 - 23
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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References

Bechtel, W. (1988a) Philosophy of mind: An overview for cognitive science. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.Google Scholar
Bechtel, W. (1988b) Philosophy of science: An overview for cognitive science. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.Google Scholar
Bechtel, W. (2008) Mental mechanisms: Philosophical perspectives on cognitive neuroscience. New York: Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.Google Scholar
Bechtel, W., & Abrahamsen, A. (2005) ‘Explanation: A mechanist alternative.’ Studies in History & Philosophy of Biological & Biomedical Sciences, 36(2), 421–441.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bechtel, W., & Richardson, R. C. (1993) Discovering complexity: Decomposition and localization as strategies in scientific research. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Cronbach, L. J., & Meehl, P. E. (1955) ‘Construct validity in psychological tests.’ Psychological Bulletin, 52(4), 281–302.Google Scholar
Hempel, C. G., & Oppenheim, P. (1948) ‘Studies in the logic of explanation.’ Philosophy of Science, 15, 135–175.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kendler, K. S. (2008) ‘Explanatory models for psychiatric illness.’ American Journal of Psychiatry, 165(6), 695–702.Google Scholar
Thomas, J. G., & Sharp, P. B. (2019) ‘Mechanistic science: A new approach to comprehensive psychopathology research that relates psychological and biological phenomena.’ Clinical Psychological Science, 7(2), 196–215.Google Scholar

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