Causation
Causation is the relation by which one thing brings about or produces another. This area examines what causation is, what its relata are, and how to analyze it through regularity, counterfactual dependence, processes, or production.
Definition
Causation is the metaphysical relation in virtue of which causes bring about or are responsible for their effects.
Scope
Covers theories of causation including regularity, counterfactual, probabilistic, process, and interventionist accounts; the nature of causal relata; the relation between causation, counterfactuals, and laws of nature; and problems such as overdetermination and preemption.
Sub-topics
Core questions
- What is the difference between mere correlation and genuine causation?
- What are the relata of causation, events, facts, or something else?
- Can causation be analyzed in terms of regularity or counterfactual dependence?
- How do causation and laws of nature relate?
Key concepts
- Constant conjunction
- INUS condition
- Counterfactual dependence
- Causal process
- Overdetermination
- Preemption
- Production
Key theories
- Regularity (Humean) theory
- Following Hume, causation is constant conjunction: causes are regularly followed by their effects, with no necessary connection in the objects beyond observed regularity, refined by Mackie's INUS conditions.
- Counterfactual theory
- Lewis analyzes causation in terms of counterfactual dependence among events: c causes e roughly when, had c not occurred, e would not have occurred, with causation as the ancestral of such dependence.
- Process and production theories
- Salmon and others analyze causation in terms of physical processes that transmit conserved quantities, distinguishing genuine causal processes from pseudo-processes.
History
Hume's analysis of causation as constant conjunction and the denial of perceivable necessary connection set the modern agenda. Mackie refined regularity theory with INUS conditions; Lewis introduced the counterfactual analysis; Salmon developed process theories; and Woodward articulated the interventionist account widely used in the sciences.
Debates
- Reductive versus non-reductive accounts of causation
- Humeans seek to reduce causation to regularities or counterfactuals about non-modal facts; anti-reductionists hold causation or causal powers to be primitive features of reality.
Key figures
- David Hume
- J. L. Mackie
- David Lewis
- Wesley Salmon
- James Woodward
- Nancy Cartwright
Related topics
Seminal works
- hume1748
- lewis1973causation
- mackie1980
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between correlation and causation?
- Correlation is mere statistical association, which can arise from coincidence or a common cause. Causation involves one event genuinely producing or making a difference to another. Theories of causation aim to say precisely what that difference consists in.