In Defence of the Agent and Patient Distinction
The Case from Molecular Biology and Chemistry
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8396136 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Davis Kuykendall (0000-0003-2471-3040, George Mason University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 75 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 443-463 |
| Publication date | 2024-06-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0007-0882 • E-ISSN: 1464-3537 |
| Publisher | University of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1086/715470 |
| OpenAlex | W3163842598 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 15 |
In this article, I defend the agent–patient distinction against critics who argue that causal interactions are symmetrical. Specifically, I argue that there is a widespread type of causal interaction between distinct entities, resulting in a type of ontological asymmetry that provides principled grounds for distinguishing agents from patients. The type of interaction where the asymmetry is found is when one of the entities undergoes a change in kind, structure, powers, or intrinsic properties as a result of the interaction while the other does not. Interactions of this type are widespread in molecular biology and chemistry. I focus specifically on (i) the actions of enzymes on substrates and (ii) water molecules breaking the bonds of polarized molecules. Finally, I respond to objections by laying out and to a limited extent defending three commitments of my account: emergent entities and powers, realism about chemical kinds or structures, and the assumption of the agent–patient distinction in functional attributions in biology
Asymmetry · Attribution · Epistemology · Focus (optics · Physics · Quantum mechanics · Realism · Chemistry · Gene Regulatory Network Analysis · Origins and Evolution of Life · Philosophy · Philosophy and History of Science · Psychology · Social Psychology
| Citations per year | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Highly cited | No |