Chapter 8 - Causation

Click the tabs to view the content.

Load Quiz
Load a quiz to begin
You answered the following questions incorrectly:

    Annotated Bibliography

    Helen Beebee. 2003. Seeing Causing.
    http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/
    Considers the question of whether causal relations are observable
    Donald Davidson. 1967. Causal Relations.
    http://www.jstor.org/stable/2023853
    Defense of a regularity theory, including a discussion of the relata of causal relations
    J.L. Mackie. 1965. Causes and Conditions.
    http://www.jstor.org/stable/20009173
    Defends the INUS-condition regularity theory
    David Lewis. 1973. Causation.
    http://www.jstor.org/stable/2025310
    Defense of a counterfactual theory of causation with objections to regularity theories
    Michael Strevens. 2007. Mackie Remixed.
    http://www.strevens.org/research/expln/MacRules.pdf
    Defends a version of the nomic regularity theory that responds to traditional worries
    Laurie Paul. 2000. Aspect Causation.
    http://www.jstor.org/stable/2678392
    A counterfactual theory of causation better able to handle difficult cases, e.g. causal preemption
    David Lewis. 2000. Causation as Influence.
    http://www.jstor.org/stable/2678389
    A revised version of Lewis's counterfactual theory to better handle difficult cases, e.g. of causal preemption
    Ellery Eells. 1986. Probabilistic Causal Interaction
    http://www.jstor.org/stable/187920
    Addresses some of the challenges for developing a probabilistic theory of causation
    Michael Tooley. 1990. Causation: Reductionism versus Realism
    http://www.jstor.org/stable/2108040
    Argues against reductive theories of causation
    Wesley Salmon. 1994. Causality Without Counterfactuals.
    http://www.jstor.org/stable/188214
    Defense of a physical process theory
    Jonathan Schaffer. 2000. Causation by Disconnection.
    http://www.jonathanschaffer.org/disconnection.pdf
    Raises worries for physical process theories involving cases of causation involving absences
    Judith Jarvis Thomson. 2003. Causation: Omissions.
    http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/
    A discussion of causation by omission, with a response to worries for process theories
    Alyssa Ney. 2009. Physical Causation and Difference-making.
    http://bjps.oxfordjournals.org/
    Makes a distinction between analytic and empirical accounts of causation and argues for causal foundationalism: the view that physical causal facts ground facts about difference-making
    Carolina Sartorio. 2005. Causes as Difference-makers.
    http://link.springer.com/
    Explores and defends the idea of causes as difference-makers
    Nancy Cartwright. 1979. Causal Laws and Effective Strategies.
    http://www.jstor.org/stable/2215337
    Argues that causal concepts figure essentially in scientific theorizing and testing

    Annotated Weblinks

    http://www.philostv.com/
    Ned Hall and L.A. Paul discuss causation and the counterfactual theory at Philosophy TV.
    http://philosophybites.com/2012/07/
    Huw Price discusses the possibility of backwards causation at Philosophy Bites.
    http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/metaphysical/
    An interview with L.A. Paul at 3:AM Magazine on causation, metaphysics, and other topics.
    http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/causation-metaphysics/
    The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry on the metaphysics of causation by Jonathan Schaffer.
    http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/causation-process/
    The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry on causal processes by Phil Dowe.
    http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/causation-counterfactual/
    The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry on counterfactual theories of causation by Peter Menzies.
    http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/causation-probabilistic/
    The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry on probabilistic theories of causation by Christopher Hitchcock.
    http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant-hume-causality/
    The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry on Kant and Hume's views on causation by Graciela De Pierris and Michael Friedman.

    Discussion Questions

    1. The text describes some proposals for which types of entities stand in causal relations (events, tropes, facts, substances). Give one example each of a causal relation between events, a causal relation between tropes, one between facts, and one between substances.
    2. Describe the most plausible example you can of a case of causation with an observable causal link.
    3. A crucial component of Hume's account of how we acquire the idea of causation involves the expectation that an event of type-B will follow upon an event of type-A. Do you think it's possible to know that causation occurs even in the absence of such an expectation? What would be an example that illustrates your view?
    4. Come up with an original case in which a nomic regularity theory would have to count an epiphenomenon as a cause.
    5. Which objection to the probabilistic theory of causation do you find most powerful? Sketch how the probabilistic theory might be modified to address this objection.
    6. Come up with three cases many would consider to be examples of causation by omission.
    7. For each case of causation by omission from question 6, state the counterfactual whose truth the simple counterfactual theorist will claim is sufficient for this being a case of causation. In your view, is it plausible that there can be such cases of causation even in the absence of physical processes?
    8. Explain Tooley's objection to reductive theories of causation in your own words.
    9. Come up with your own example, such as a criminal trial or a psychological experiment, in which a specific theory of causation would have a real-world implication. Which theory is it, and what in your example would be different if that theory were false?
    10. Which of the theories in the text seems correct to you as an analytic account of causation?