Papers Published

1. Babcock, G; McShea, DW, Goal Directedness and the Field Concept, Philosophy of Science (October, 2023), pp. 1-10, Cambridge University Press (CUP) [doi].
   (last updated on 2024/11/04)

   Abstract:
   Abstract A long-standing problem in understanding goal-directed systems has been the insufficiency of mechanistic explanations to make sense of them. This article offers a solution to this problem. It begins by observing the limitations of mechanistic decompositions when it comes to understanding physical fields. We argue that introducing the field concept, as it has been developed in field theory, alongside mechanisms is able to provide an account of goal directedness in the sciences.