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Functional analysis and etiology

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Abstract

Cummins (1982) argues that etiological considerations are not onlyinsufficient butirrelevant for the determination offunction. I argue that his claim of irrelevance rests on a misrepresentation of the use of functions in evolutionary explanations. I go on to suggest how accepting anetiological constraint on functional analysis might help resolve some problems involving the use of functional explanations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Philosophy, University at Albany, SONY, 12222, Albany, NY, USA

    Ron McClamrock

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  1. Ron McClamrock
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Additional information

Thanks to Bill Wimsatt, Greg Mikkelson, Dan McShea, Robert Cummins and the editor and referees of this journal for their comments on earlier drafts.

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McClamrock, R. Functional analysis and etiology. Erkenntnis 38, 249–260 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01128983

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01128983

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