Diet Mechanistic Philosophy

Abstract

This chapter compares and contrasts the black-boxing approach with the “new wave of mechanistic philosophy.” Is the present treatment of black boxes novel and original? Or is it a rehashing of ideas that have been on the table since the turn of the new millennium? The black-boxing recipe fits in quite well with the depiction of science being in the business of discovering and modeling mechanisms. All three steps underlying the construction of a black box have been stressed, in some form or degree, in the extant literature. Nevertheless, the construction of black boxes, as presented here, dampens many of the ontological implications that characterize the contemporary landscape. This allows one to respond to some objections raised against the traditional mechanism. For this reason, the author provocatively refers to black-boxing as a “diet” mechanistic philosophy, with all the epistemic flavor of the old-fashioned mechanistic view, but hardly any metaphysical calories.