4 Causation and the Structure of Events Free Online FlashCards

What is causation?

Causation is the relation by which an event or process helps bring about another.

What counts as an event?

An event is something that happens or changes, such as a glass breaking or a storm forming.

What role do background conditions play in an ordinary causal claim?

A match can start a fire only given background conditions such as fuel and oxygen. These conditions matter even if they are not selected as “the cause.”

Must a cause be the sole, necessary, or sufficient cause?

A cause need not be the sole cause or be individually necessary or sufficient for its effect.

How do regularity accounts understand causation?

Regularity accounts connect causation with patterns in which events of one kind are regularly followed by events of another kind.

Does regular succession alone prove causation?

No. Night regularly precedes day, but night does not cause day; regular succession alone cannot establish causation.

What question does a counterfactual account ask?

They ask whether the effect would have occurred if the candidate cause had not. If the lamp would have stayed dark without the switch flip, that supports a causal claim.

Why can a counterfactual test miss a cause?

Another working switch might have turned on the lamp anyway, or several causes might each have been sufficient. These cases complicate counterfactual tests.

What do process and mechanism accounts investigate?

They examine how causal influence is transmitted through interacting parts and activities, such as a flame transferring heat until leaves ignite.

What do probabilistic and interventionist accounts examine?

They consider causes that raise an outcome’s chance without guaranteeing it, and test what happens when a factor is deliberately changed while relevant alternatives are held fixed.

Why can a barometer predict a storm without causing it?

A barometer reading can predict a storm without causing it: atmospheric conditions can cause both the reading and the storm.

What makes an explanation causal and question-relevant?

It identifies factors that produced or made a difference to the event and, where possible, explains how. The relevant causes depend on the question being asked.