It is very contentious whether the features of the manifest image have a place in the world as it... more It is very contentious whether the features of the manifest image have a place in the world as it is described by natural science. For the advocates of strict (or scientific) naturalism, this is a serious problem, which has been labelled ‘placement problem’. In this light, some of them try to show that those features are reducible to scientifically acceptable ones. Others, instead, argue that the features of the manifest image are mere illusions and, consequently, have to be eliminated from our ontology. In brief, the two options that are open to strict naturalists for solving the placement problem are ontological reductionism and eliminativism. Other advocates of naturalist philoso- phers, however, claim that both these strategies fail and, consequently, opt for ‘mysterianism’, the view according to which we cannot give up the recalcitrant features of the manifest image even if we are not able to understand the ways (which certainly exist) in which they could be reduced to the scientific features. Mysterianism has the merit of facing the difficulties that whoever wants to explain reductively, or explain away, the features of the manifest image encounters. It is also a defeatist philosophical view, though, since it considers the most important philosophical problems as unsolvable mysteries. For this reason, I argue that mysterianism can also be taken as a reductio of strict naturalism, given its presumption that all phenomena are either explainable by the natural sciences or to be rejected as illusory. In this article, it is argued that the failures of reductionism, eliminativism and mysterianism should teach us that both the scientific image and the manifest image of the world are essential and mutually irreducible but not incompatible with each other. To support this claim, in the second part of the article, the case of free will is discussed.
in M. De Caro and D. Macarthur (eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Liberal Naturalism, Routledge, London-New York, 205-217. , 2022
Saying that contemporary science is deeply at odds with the ordinary view of the world, and that ... more Saying that contemporary science is deeply at odds with the ordinary view of the world, and that the most spectacular instance of this fracture is offered by physics, is little more than stating a truism. As Gregg Rosenberg (2004, 241) writes: Science has already shown us in many ways-from the relativity, responsiveness and surprising geometry of space and time to the randomness, indeterminacy, nonlocality and uncertainty principle of quantum mechanics-that commonsense intuition breaks down at the fundamental level of the world.
AUXIER, Randall E. and Lewis Hahn, eds. The Philosophy of Richard Rorty. Chicago: Open Court Publ... more AUXIER, Randall E. and Lewis Hahn, eds. The Philosophy of Richard Rorty. Chicago: Open Court Publishing Company, 2010. xxxvi + 756 pp. Cloth, $89.95--The Library of Living Philosophers has been one of the most prestigious series of the entire philosophical world since 1939, when Paul Arthur Schilpp started it. Its thirty-two volumes offer an invaluable contribution to the understanding of most of the main philosophers of the last decades. However, it is the sad but unavoidable destiny of a series with such a title that some of the thinkers featured in its volumes pass away during its production. This is what happened with Richard Rorty, one of the most influential philosophers of the last part of the twentieth century, who died in 2007 while his volume was still under preparation (it finally came out in 2010). Considering the huge influence exercised by Rorty on the philosophical world, both on the analytic and the continental sides, and in other fields such as the social sciences, cultural studies, and literary theory, the heterogeneity of the group of contributors to this volume is no surprise. The list is composed of twenty-nine authors who teach in fourteen different countries and includes analytic philosophers (Huw Price, Pascal Engel, Michael Lunch), continental philosophers (Gianni Vattimo, Albrecht Wellmer, Jeanne-Pierre Cometti, Peter Dewes), philosophers of religion (Jeffrey Stout and Robert Cummings Neville), historians of philosophy (J.B. Scheewind), political philosophers (Susan James, Maria Pia Lara), a judge (Richard Posner), and an expert in Confucian philosophy (Yong Huang). The essays are divided into four sections: "Pragmatism: Old and New," "The World Well Lost: Language, Representation, and Truth," "Conversation Stoppers: Politics, Progress, and Hope," and "A Kind of Writing: Edifying Conversations." Following the traditional format of this series, the book begins with some introductory material by the editors; then there is Rorty's intellectual autobiography, followed by a series of papers (all but four with replies by Rorty), and by a complete bibliography of his works. Such a rich collection offers an excellent opportunity to evaluate Rorty's real impact on contemporary thought. It is too early, of course, to guess how lasting his intellectual heritage will be, and which among his contributions will pass the test of time. It is not too early, though, to try reflecting upon the most original elements of Rorty's intellectual experience. …
Offering a engaging and accessible portrait of the current state of the field, A Companion to Nat... more Offering a engaging and accessible portrait of the current state of the field, A Companion to Naturaslim shows students how to think about the relation between Philosophy and Science, and why is both essencial and fascinating to do so. All the authors in this collection reconsider the core questions in Philosophical Naturalism in light of the challenges raised in Contemporary Philosophy. They explore how philosophical questions are connected to vigorous current debates - including complex questions about metaphysics, semantics, religion, intentionality, pragmatism, reductionism, ontology, metaethics, mind, science, belief and delusion, among others – showing how these issues, and philosopher’s attempts to answer them, matter in the Philosophy. In this sense, this collection is also compelling and illuminating reading for philosophers, philosophy students, and anyone interested in Naturalism and their place in current discussions.
Hypotheses and Perspectives in the History and Philosophy of Science, 2017
Several decades ago Alexandre Koyre’s interpretation of Galileo as a Platonist of a specific sort... more Several decades ago Alexandre Koyre’s interpretation of Galileo as a Platonist of a specific sort was the dominant view, but today it is largely out of fashion. In this paper I argue that, if wrong regarding the experimental side of Galilean science, Koyre’s interpretation was substantially correct as to its crucial ontological and epistemological components. In this light I defend the view that Galileo should be seen as an advocate of a physico-mathematical version of Platonism.
Introductory essay to Hilary Putnam, "Naturalism, Realism, and Normativity", ed... more Introductory essay to Hilary Putnam, "Naturalism, Realism, and Normativity", ed by Mario De Caro (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2016).
The Oxford Handbook of Emotional Development, 2022
In this chapter, the authors offer a sketch of the state of the art as concerns existing accounts... more In this chapter, the authors offer a sketch of the state of the art as concerns existing accounts of virtue acquisition in relation to automaticity. In particular, the chapter focuses on the so-called “skill model,” which the authors aim to improve by questioning its rather common underlying dualistic picture of the mind. Then, the authors propose an account of skillful emotions by identifying the features that make them both automatic and embedded in an intelligent practice. Finally, the authors show how this view can help the skill model by offering a better description of emotion shaping in virtue acquisition. By doing so, they contend that emotions contribute autonomously and actively to the skillfulness of the habits in which they are embedded.
In analyzing Cesare Beccaria’s theory of punishment, this article emphasizes that, while he clear... more In analyzing Cesare Beccaria’s theory of punishment, this article emphasizes that, while he clearly endorsed a proto-utilitarian theory of punishment strongly at odds with positive retributivism, he also accepted some elements of negative retributivism. This fact, however, should not be seen as weakness of Beccaria’s view, but as another proof of his genius. As a matter of fact, he acutely understood that a purely utilitarian conception of punishment, not mitigated by negative retributivism, may indeed generate deep injustices – a lesson that we should remember today, when many scholars interpret the huge amount of data coming from the neurosciences as a proof that a utilitarian theory of punishment recommends
The paper addresses two issues that have been recently debated in the literature on free will, mo... more The paper addresses two issues that have been recently debated in the literature on free will, moral responsibility, and the theory of punishment. The first issue concerns the descriptive project, the second both the substantive and the prescriptive project. On theoretical, historical and empirical grounds, we claim that there is no rationale for fearing that the spread of neurocognitive findings will undermine the ordinary practice of responsibility attributions. We hypothetically advocate two opposite views: (i) that such findings would cause the collapse of all punitive practices; (ii) that, on the contrary, such findings would open the way to more humane forms of punishment, which would be justified on purely utilitarian grounds. We argue that these views are both wrong, since whereas a sound punitive system can be justified without any reference to moral responsibility, it will certainly not improve the humaneness of punishment.
The article discusses the origin of the split between common sense and the scientific view of the... more The article discusses the origin of the split between common sense and the scientific view of the world, which took lace at the beginning of the modern age. More specifically, it shows how Galileo ...
It is very contentious whether the features of the manifest image have a place in the world as it... more It is very contentious whether the features of the manifest image have a place in the world as it is described by natural science. For the advocates of strict (or scientific) naturalism, this is a serious problem, which has been labelled ‘placement problem’. In this light, some of them try to show that those features are reducible to scientifically acceptable ones. Others, instead, argue that the features of the manifest image are mere illusions and, consequently, have to be eliminated from our ontology. In brief, the two options that are open to strict naturalists for solving the placement problem are ontological reductionism and eliminativism. Other advocates of naturalist philoso- phers, however, claim that both these strategies fail and, consequently, opt for ‘mysterianism’, the view according to which we cannot give up the recalcitrant features of the manifest image even if we are not able to understand the ways (which certainly exist) in which they could be reduced to the scientific features. Mysterianism has the merit of facing the difficulties that whoever wants to explain reductively, or explain away, the features of the manifest image encounters. It is also a defeatist philosophical view, though, since it considers the most important philosophical problems as unsolvable mysteries. For this reason, I argue that mysterianism can also be taken as a reductio of strict naturalism, given its presumption that all phenomena are either explainable by the natural sciences or to be rejected as illusory. In this article, it is argued that the failures of reductionism, eliminativism and mysterianism should teach us that both the scientific image and the manifest image of the world are essential and mutually irreducible but not incompatible with each other. To support this claim, in the second part of the article, the case of free will is discussed.
in M. De Caro and D. Macarthur (eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Liberal Naturalism, Routledge, London-New York, 205-217. , 2022
Saying that contemporary science is deeply at odds with the ordinary view of the world, and that ... more Saying that contemporary science is deeply at odds with the ordinary view of the world, and that the most spectacular instance of this fracture is offered by physics, is little more than stating a truism. As Gregg Rosenberg (2004, 241) writes: Science has already shown us in many ways-from the relativity, responsiveness and surprising geometry of space and time to the randomness, indeterminacy, nonlocality and uncertainty principle of quantum mechanics-that commonsense intuition breaks down at the fundamental level of the world.
AUXIER, Randall E. and Lewis Hahn, eds. The Philosophy of Richard Rorty. Chicago: Open Court Publ... more AUXIER, Randall E. and Lewis Hahn, eds. The Philosophy of Richard Rorty. Chicago: Open Court Publishing Company, 2010. xxxvi + 756 pp. Cloth, $89.95--The Library of Living Philosophers has been one of the most prestigious series of the entire philosophical world since 1939, when Paul Arthur Schilpp started it. Its thirty-two volumes offer an invaluable contribution to the understanding of most of the main philosophers of the last decades. However, it is the sad but unavoidable destiny of a series with such a title that some of the thinkers featured in its volumes pass away during its production. This is what happened with Richard Rorty, one of the most influential philosophers of the last part of the twentieth century, who died in 2007 while his volume was still under preparation (it finally came out in 2010). Considering the huge influence exercised by Rorty on the philosophical world, both on the analytic and the continental sides, and in other fields such as the social sciences, cultural studies, and literary theory, the heterogeneity of the group of contributors to this volume is no surprise. The list is composed of twenty-nine authors who teach in fourteen different countries and includes analytic philosophers (Huw Price, Pascal Engel, Michael Lunch), continental philosophers (Gianni Vattimo, Albrecht Wellmer, Jeanne-Pierre Cometti, Peter Dewes), philosophers of religion (Jeffrey Stout and Robert Cummings Neville), historians of philosophy (J.B. Scheewind), political philosophers (Susan James, Maria Pia Lara), a judge (Richard Posner), and an expert in Confucian philosophy (Yong Huang). The essays are divided into four sections: "Pragmatism: Old and New," "The World Well Lost: Language, Representation, and Truth," "Conversation Stoppers: Politics, Progress, and Hope," and "A Kind of Writing: Edifying Conversations." Following the traditional format of this series, the book begins with some introductory material by the editors; then there is Rorty's intellectual autobiography, followed by a series of papers (all but four with replies by Rorty), and by a complete bibliography of his works. Such a rich collection offers an excellent opportunity to evaluate Rorty's real impact on contemporary thought. It is too early, of course, to guess how lasting his intellectual heritage will be, and which among his contributions will pass the test of time. It is not too early, though, to try reflecting upon the most original elements of Rorty's intellectual experience. …
Offering a engaging and accessible portrait of the current state of the field, A Companion to Nat... more Offering a engaging and accessible portrait of the current state of the field, A Companion to Naturaslim shows students how to think about the relation between Philosophy and Science, and why is both essencial and fascinating to do so. All the authors in this collection reconsider the core questions in Philosophical Naturalism in light of the challenges raised in Contemporary Philosophy. They explore how philosophical questions are connected to vigorous current debates - including complex questions about metaphysics, semantics, religion, intentionality, pragmatism, reductionism, ontology, metaethics, mind, science, belief and delusion, among others – showing how these issues, and philosopher’s attempts to answer them, matter in the Philosophy. In this sense, this collection is also compelling and illuminating reading for philosophers, philosophy students, and anyone interested in Naturalism and their place in current discussions.
Hypotheses and Perspectives in the History and Philosophy of Science, 2017
Several decades ago Alexandre Koyre’s interpretation of Galileo as a Platonist of a specific sort... more Several decades ago Alexandre Koyre’s interpretation of Galileo as a Platonist of a specific sort was the dominant view, but today it is largely out of fashion. In this paper I argue that, if wrong regarding the experimental side of Galilean science, Koyre’s interpretation was substantially correct as to its crucial ontological and epistemological components. In this light I defend the view that Galileo should be seen as an advocate of a physico-mathematical version of Platonism.
Introductory essay to Hilary Putnam, "Naturalism, Realism, and Normativity", ed... more Introductory essay to Hilary Putnam, "Naturalism, Realism, and Normativity", ed by Mario De Caro (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2016).
The Oxford Handbook of Emotional Development, 2022
In this chapter, the authors offer a sketch of the state of the art as concerns existing accounts... more In this chapter, the authors offer a sketch of the state of the art as concerns existing accounts of virtue acquisition in relation to automaticity. In particular, the chapter focuses on the so-called “skill model,” which the authors aim to improve by questioning its rather common underlying dualistic picture of the mind. Then, the authors propose an account of skillful emotions by identifying the features that make them both automatic and embedded in an intelligent practice. Finally, the authors show how this view can help the skill model by offering a better description of emotion shaping in virtue acquisition. By doing so, they contend that emotions contribute autonomously and actively to the skillfulness of the habits in which they are embedded.
In analyzing Cesare Beccaria’s theory of punishment, this article emphasizes that, while he clear... more In analyzing Cesare Beccaria’s theory of punishment, this article emphasizes that, while he clearly endorsed a proto-utilitarian theory of punishment strongly at odds with positive retributivism, he also accepted some elements of negative retributivism. This fact, however, should not be seen as weakness of Beccaria’s view, but as another proof of his genius. As a matter of fact, he acutely understood that a purely utilitarian conception of punishment, not mitigated by negative retributivism, may indeed generate deep injustices – a lesson that we should remember today, when many scholars interpret the huge amount of data coming from the neurosciences as a proof that a utilitarian theory of punishment recommends
The paper addresses two issues that have been recently debated in the literature on free will, mo... more The paper addresses two issues that have been recently debated in the literature on free will, moral responsibility, and the theory of punishment. The first issue concerns the descriptive project, the second both the substantive and the prescriptive project. On theoretical, historical and empirical grounds, we claim that there is no rationale for fearing that the spread of neurocognitive findings will undermine the ordinary practice of responsibility attributions. We hypothetically advocate two opposite views: (i) that such findings would cause the collapse of all punitive practices; (ii) that, on the contrary, such findings would open the way to more humane forms of punishment, which would be justified on purely utilitarian grounds. We argue that these views are both wrong, since whereas a sound punitive system can be justified without any reference to moral responsibility, it will certainly not improve the humaneness of punishment.
The article discusses the origin of the split between common sense and the scientific view of the... more The article discusses the origin of the split between common sense and the scientific view of the world, which took lace at the beginning of the modern age. More specifically, it shows how Galileo ...
Offering a engaging and accessible portrait of the current state of the field, A Companion to Nat... more Offering a engaging and accessible portrait of the current state of the field, A Companion to Naturaslim shows students how to think about the relation between Philosophy and Science, and why is both essencial and fascinating to do so. All the authors in this collection reconsider the core questions in Philosophical Naturalism in light of the challenges raised in Contemporary Philosophy. They explore how philosophical questions are connected to vigorous current debates - including complex questions about metaphysics, semantics, religion, intentionality, pragmatism, reductionism, ontology, metaethics, mind, science, belief and delusion, among others – showing how these issues, and philosopher’s attempts to answer them, matter in the Philosophy. In this sense, this collection is also compelling and illuminating reading for philosophers, philosophy students, and anyone interested in Naturalism and their place in current discussions.
In analyzing Cesare Beccaria's theory of punishment, this article emphasizes that, while he clear... more In analyzing Cesare Beccaria's theory of punishment, this article emphasizes that, while he clearly endorsed a proto-utilitarian theory of punishment strongly at odds with positive retributivism, he also accepted some elements of negative retributivism. This fact, however, should not be seen as weakness of Beccaria's view, but as another proof of his genius. As a matter of fact, he acutely understood that a purely utilitarian conception of punishment, not mitigated by negative retributivism, may indeed generate deep injustices – a lesson that we should remember today, when many scholars interpret the huge amount of data coming from the neurosciences as a proof that a utilitarian theory of punishment recommends itself.
Il convegno è organizzato dalla Fondazione San Carlo di Modena e dall'Università di Modena e Regg... more Il convegno è organizzato dalla Fondazione San Carlo di Modena e dall'Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia (fondi PRIN 2015 del progetto "Costellazioni concettuali nel pensiero filosofico della prima età moderna")
The paper addresses two issues that have been recently debated in the literature on free will, mo... more The paper addresses two issues that have been recently debated in the literature on free will, moral responsibility, and the theory of punishment. The first issue concerns the descriptive project, the second both the substantive and the prescriptive project. On theoretical, historical and empirical grounds, we claim that there is no rationale for fearing that the spread of neurocognitive findings will undermine the ordinary practice of responsibility attributions. We hypothetically advocate two opposite views: (i) that such findings would cause the collapse of all punitive practices; (ii) that, on the contrary, such findings would open the way to more humane forms of punishment, which would be justified on purely utilitarian grounds. We argue that these views are both wrong, since whereas a sound punitive system can be justified without any reference to moral responsibility, it will certainly not improve the humaneness of punishment.
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Papers by Mario DeCaro