Reality can be studied at different levels, so forms of “levelism” have often been advocated in the past.[^1] In the 1970s, levelism nicely dovetailed with the computational turn and became a standard approach both in science and in philoso…Hughes, P., & Brecht, G. (1976). Vicious circles and infinity: A panoply of paradoxes. London: Cape. Originally published: Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1975.
Kant, I. (1998). Critique of pure reason repr. w. corr. (trans: Guyer, P., & Woo…
Paul Oppenheim
philosopher · 2 mentions across 1 reading
In this course
Oppenheim appears as a foundational figure in hierarchical systems theory and reductionism, though the excerpts provided only offer fragmentary evidence of his direct influence. The first excerpt suggests his work on "levelism"—the idea that reality can be productively studied at distinct organizational levels—became central to 1970s computational philosophy alongside figures like Dennett. His framework for thinking about levels and reduction remains relevant to how contemporary AI and systems theory navigate the question of whether complex behaviors can be explained by their component parts or require emergent, system-level analysis.
Mentioned in 1 reading
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Allen Newell 2David Marr 2Hilary Putnam 2Allen W. Wood 1Dennis Macko 1George Brecht 1Grover Maxwell 1Herbert Feigl 1Immanuel Kant 1J. A. Scott Kelso 1Jancis Robinson 1Michael Scriven 1Mihajlo D. Mesarovic 1Patrick Hughes 1Paul Guyer 1Roberto Poli 1Ron McClamrock 1Thomas Nagel 1Yasuhiko Takahara 1Zenon W. Pylyshyn 1Daniel Dennett 1Herbert Simon 1John Foster 1John Heil 1Jonathan Schaffer 1Mihajlo Mesarovic 1Ned Block 1William Wimsatt 1