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Determinism, omniscience, and the multiplicity of explanations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 October 1999

Mary Midgley
Mary Midgley
Affiliation:
Formerly Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, Newcastle NE2 2JP, United Kingdom
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Abstract

Complete determinism is, as Karl Popper said, “a daydream of omniscience.” Determinism is usually conceived as linked with a particular science whose explanations are deemed fundamental. As Rose rightly points out, biological enquiry includes many different kinds of question. Genetic determinism, making genes central to biology, is therefore biased and misguided. The crucial unit must be the whole organism.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 22 , Issue 5 , October 1999 , pp. 900 - 901
Copyright
© 1999 Cambridge University Press

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