The possible source of the causal time arrow in geo-historical explanations  

作　　者：Gadi Kravitz 

机构地区：[1]Department of Philosophy, The University of Haifa, Israel

出　　处：《Geoscience Frontiers》2017年第3期555-564,共10页地学前缘（英文版）

摘　　要：My argument in this article, will be that nature, in general, and human nature in particular, suggests that, in principle, it is possible to derive the causal time arrow from several physical time arrows existing in nature and appearing to be unidirectional and irreversible phenomena. A more concrete argument will be that the assumption of a causal time arrow to which geologists resort in all geo-historical explana- tions, apparently originates in geo-historical time arrows concealed in unidirectional and irreversible physical-geological processes, l will illustrate this claim with a few examples of geo-historical expla- nations in the theory of plate tectonics, most of which are based on irreversible geo-physical processes. My final argument is a broader, of an epistemological nature, according to which the causal time arrow assumption used in logical-causative explanations in everyday life and in science, apparently ＂derives＂ in a way from the geo-historical time arrow. I will base this argument on the causal relationship and mutual influence that occurs in nature between geo-historical and evolutionary processes in animals, including developmental processes of the human brain and mind. From this reductionist argument, nicely integrated in the framework of evolutionary epistemology （EEM）, it is possible to derive a wider naturalistic argument according to which, on principle, the laws of geo-historical physics can be reduced to the laws of logic and causality.My argument in this article, will be that nature, in general, and human nature in particular, suggests that, in principle, it is possible to derive the causal time arrow from several physical time arrows existing in nature and appearing to be unidirectional and irreversible phenomena. A more concrete argument will be that the assumption of a causal time arrow to which geologists resort in all geo-historical explana- tions, apparently originates in geo-historical time arrows concealed in unidirectional and irreversible physical-geological processes, l will illustrate this claim with a few examples of geo-historical expla- nations in the theory of plate tectonics, most of which are based on irreversible geo-physical processes. My final argument is a broader, of an epistemological nature, according to which the causal time arrow assumption used in logical-causative explanations in everyday life and in science, apparently ＂derives＂ in a way from the geo-historical time arrow. I will base this argument on the causal relationship and mutual influence that occurs in nature between geo-historical and evolutionary processes in animals, including developmental processes of the human brain and mind. From this reductionist argument, nicely integrated in the framework of evolutionary epistemology （EEM）, it is possible to derive a wider naturalistic argument according to which, on principle, the laws of geo-historical physics can be reduced to the laws of logic and causality.

关 键 词：Evolutionary epistemology Philosophy of geo-historical thinking Causality Time arrow 

分 类 号：P53[天文地球—古生物学与地层学]