William Bechtel (born 1951) is a professor of

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

in the Department of Philosophy and the Science Studies Program at the

University of California, San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego or colloquially, UCSD) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Diego, California. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing Scripps Insti ...

. He was a professor of philosophy at

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...

from 1994 until 200

Bechtel was also the chair of the Philosophy Department from 1999 until 2002 and was heavily involved with th
Philosophy-Psychology-Neuroscience
program, serving at different times as Assistant Director and Director. Before that, he was at Georgia State. Bechtel earned his PhD from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

and his BA from

Kenyon College Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio. It was founded in 1824 by Philander Chase. Kenyon College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Kenyon has 1,708 undergraduates enrolled. Its 1,000-acre campus is se ...

. Bechtel's work in philosophy has focused on the philosophy of the

life sciences This list of life sciences comprises the branches of science that involve the scientific study of life – such as microorganisms, plants, and animals including human beings. This science is one of the two major branches of natural science, the ...

. In particular, he has worked on

cell biology Cell biology (also cellular biology or cytology) is a branch of biology that studies the structure, function, and behavior of cells. All living organisms are made of cells. A cell is the basic unit of life that is responsible for the living and ...

biochemistry Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and ...

neuroscience Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system), its functions and disorders. It is a multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, development ...

, and cognitive science. Bechtel advocates a mechanistic approach to

philosophy of science Philosophy of science is a branch of philosophy concerned with the foundations, methods, and implications of science. The central questions of this study concern what qualifies as science, the reliability of scientific theories, and the ultim ...

, taking the view that phenomena are often explained by specifying mechanisms. He argues that although this is more naturally in accordance with the actual methodology of life scientists, it contrasts with the traditional model of deduction from laws supported by mainstream philosophy of science. Bechtel has also written about the nature of scientific discovery. He is the editor of the journal ''

Philosophical Psychology ''Philosophical Psychology'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal devoted to the links between philosophy and psychology. The journal publishes research in ethical and philosophical issues emerging from the cognitive sciences, social sciences, an ...

''.

Books

*''Mental Mechanisms: Philosophical Perspectives on Cognitive Neuroscience''. London: Routledge *''Discovering Cell Mechanisms. The Creation of Modern Cell Biology''. Cambridge University Press. 2006. *''Connectionism and the Mind: Parallel Processing, Dynamics, and Evolution in Networks''. Basil Blackwell. 2002. *''Discovering Complexity''. Princeton University Press. 1993. * *

References

William Bechtel at University of California, San Diego
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bechtel, William 21st-century American philosophers Living people Kenyon College alumni University of Chicago alumni Georgia State University faculty Washington University in St. Louis faculty University of California, San Diego faculty 1951 births Fellows of the Cognitive Science Society