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Single Idea 10388
[filed under theme 26. Natural Theory / C. Causation / 7. Eliminating causation
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Full Idea
Causation can't be eliminated if it is needed to explain persistence, explanation, disposition, perception, warrant, action, responsibility, mental functional role, conceptual content, and reference. It's elimination would be catastrophic.
Gist of Idea
Causation is utterly essential for numerous philosophical explanations
Source
Jonathan Schaffer (The Metaphysics of Causation [2007], 2.1.2)
Book Ref
'Stanford Online Encyclopaedia of Philosophy', ed/tr. Stanford University [plato.stanford.edu], p.23
A Reaction
[compressed list] I think I am going to vote for the view that causation is one of the primitives in the metaphysics of nature, so I have to agree with this. Most of the listed items, though, are controversial, so eliminativists are not defeated.
The
27 ideas
from 'The Metaphysics of Causation'
10359
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In causation there are three problems of relata, and three metaphysical problems
[Schaffer,J]
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10361
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Events are fairly course-grained (just saying 'hello'), unlike facts (like saying 'hello' loudly)
[Schaffer,J]
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10360
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Causal relata are events - or facts, features, tropes, states, situations or aspects
[Schaffer,J]
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10362
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One may defend three or four causal relata, as in 'c causes e rather than e*'
[Schaffer,J]
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10367
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There is only one fact - the True
[Schaffer,J]
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10366
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Causation transcends nature, because absences can cause things
[Schaffer,J]
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10372
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Causation may not be transitive; the last event may follow from the first, but not be caused by it
[Schaffer,J]
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10368
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If causal relata must be in nature and fine-grained, neither facts nor events will do
[Schaffer,J]
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10374
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There are at least ten theories about causal connections
[Schaffer,J]
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10373
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Logical form can't dictate metaphysics, as it may propose an undesirable property
[Schaffer,J]
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10375
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At least four rivals have challenged the view that causal direction is time direction
[Schaffer,J]
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10376
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The actual cause may make an event less likely than a possible more effective cause
[Schaffer,J]
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10377
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Causation may not be a process, if a crucial part of the process is 'disconnected'
[Schaffer,J]
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10378
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A causal process needs to be connected to the effect in the right way
[Schaffer,J]
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10382
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Causation can't be a process, because a process needs causation as a primitive
[Schaffer,J]
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10384
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If two different causes are possible in one set of circumstances, causation is primitive
[Schaffer,J]
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10386
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If causation is primitive, it can be experienced in ourselves, or inferred as best explanation
[Schaffer,J]
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10380
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Causation is primitive; it is too intractable and central to be reduced; all explanations require it
[Schaffer,J]
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10385
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If causation is just observables, or part of common sense, or vacuous, it can't be primitive
[Schaffer,J]
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10387
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The notion of causation allows understanding of science, without appearing in equations
[Schaffer,J]
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10388
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Causation is utterly essential for numerous philosophical explanations
[Schaffer,J]
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10381
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All four probability versions of causation may need causation to be primitive
[Schaffer,J]
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10383
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The relata of causation (such as events) need properties as explanation, which need causation!
[Schaffer,J]
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10389
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Causal order must be temporal, or else causes could be blocked, and time couldn't be explained
[Schaffer,J]
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10390
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Causal order is not temporal, because of time travel, and simultanous, joint or backward causes
[Schaffer,J]
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10393
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Our selection of 'the' cause is very predictable, so must have a basis
[Schaffer,J]
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10394
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Selecting 'the' cause must have a basis; there is no causation without such a selection
[Schaffer,J]
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