Efficient Causation

"[E]ach contributor provides an expert treatment of a chapter in the history of efficient causation, and the book as a whole gives a useful framework to reflect historically on a key philosophical concept." --Journal of the History of Philosophy "This fine history of the evolution of conceptions of causation has no rival... Contributors' reflections on the interactive development of philosophical conceptions of the concept of efficient causation make this a complex but rewarding work for advanced students of philosophy. Comprehensive index and bibliography... Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-level undergraduates and above." --Choice "Does the volume achieve these big-picture goals? Yes, for the most part. The quality of the scholarship is very high without being unapproachable, the volume lays out a detailed and insightful history of its target concept, and the Reflections are engaging and thought provoking...volume succeeds admirably in its stated goals...Efficient Causation is a history of causation written for metaphysicians. By those lights, it is excellent." --Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews Online "The volume showcases crucial elements that at one point or another entered into philosophical views of efficient causation. It provides a useful framework for taking a fresh look at existing work on causation...This Oxford Philosophical Concepts anthology represents a great first step toward a better, historically situated, understanding of efficient causation. As such it is a welcome addition to the philosophical literature." -- American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly