DOI: 10.1086/392866. Role Functions, Mechanisms, and Hierarchy

Role Functions, Mechanisms, and Hierarchy

10.1086/392866

Crossref journal-article

Cambridge University Press (CUP)

Philosophy of Science (56)

Abstract

Many areas of science develop by discovering mechanisms and role functions. Cummins' (1975) analysis of role functions—according to which an item's role function is a capacity of that item that appears in an analytic explanation of the capacity of some containing system—captures one important sense of “function” in the biological sciences and elsewhere. Here I synthesize Cummins' account with recent work on mechanisms and causal/mechanical explanation. The synthesis produces an analysis of specifically mechanistic role functions, one that uses the characteristic active, spatial, temporal, and hierarchical organization of mechanisms to add precision and content to Cummins' original suggestion. This synthesis also shows why the discovery of role functions is a scientific achievement. Discovering a role function (i) contributes to the interlevel integration of multilevel mechanisms, and (ii) provides a unique, contextual variety of causal/mechanical explanation.

Bibliography

Craver, C. F. (2001). Role Functions, Mechanisms, and Hierarchy. Philosophy of Science, 68(1), 53â74.

Authors 1

Carl F. Craver (first)

References 36 Referenced 274

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Dates

Type	When
Created	21 years, 6 months ago (Feb. 26, 2004, 3:52 p.m.)
Deposited	1 year, 7 months ago (Jan. 12, 2024, 10:03 a.m.)
Indexed	1 month, 2 weeks ago (July 11, 2025, 9:30 p.m.)
Issued	24 years, 5 months ago (March 1, 2001)
Published	24 years, 5 months ago (March 1, 2001)
Published Online	3 years, 4 months ago (April 1, 2022)
Published Print	24 years, 5 months ago (March 1, 2001)

Funders 0

None

BibTeX

@article{Craver_2001, title={Role Functions, Mechanisms, and Hierarchy}, volume={68}, ISSN={1539-767X}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/392866}, DOI={10.1086/392866}, number={1}, journal={Philosophy of Science}, publisher={Cambridge University Press (CUP)}, author={Craver, Carl F.}, year={2001}, month=mar, pages={53–74} }

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