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Single Idea 14547
[filed under theme 26. Natural Theory / C. Causation / 8. Particular Causation / d. Selecting the cause
]
Full Idea
The cause, philosophically speaking, is the sum total of the conditions, positive and negative taken together; the whole of the contigencies of every description, which being realized, the consequent invariably follows.
Gist of Idea
The strict cause is the total positive and negative conditions which ensure the consequent
Source
John Stuart Mill (System of Logic [1843], 3.05.3)
Book Ref
Mill,John Stuart: 'System of Logic (9th ed, 2 vols)' [Longmans, Green etc 1875], p.383
A Reaction
This somewhat notorious remark is not going to be much help in a law court or a laboratory. It is that view which says that the Big Bang must be included in every causal list ever compiled. Well, yes...
The
14 ideas
with the same theme
[naming 'the' cause among the pre-condtions of events]:
10391
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Causes and conditions are not distinct, because we select capriciously from among them
[Mill]
|
14547
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The strict cause is the total positive and negative conditions which ensure the consequent
[Mill]
|
22645
|
Understanding by means of causes is useless if they are not reduced to a minimum number
[James]
|
8370
|
A cause is a change which occurs close to the effect and just before it
[Ducasse]
|
17645
|
An alien might think oxygen was the main cause of a forest fire
[Putnam]
|
8333
|
A cause is an Insufficient but Necessary part of an Unnecessary but Sufficient condition
[Mackie]
|
15277
|
The cause (or part of it) is what stimulates or releases the powerful particular thing involved
[Harré/Madden]
|
15551
|
Ways of carving causes may be natural, but never 'right'
[Lewis]
|
15552
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We only pick 'the' cause for the purposes of some particular enquiry.
[Lewis]
|
10392
|
It is just individious discrimination to pick out one cause and label it as 'the' cause
[Lewis]
|
8419
|
The modern regularity view says a cause is a member of a minimal set of sufficient conditions
[Lewis]
|
10393
|
Our selection of 'the' cause is very predictable, so must have a basis
[Schaffer,J]
|
10394
|
Selecting 'the' cause must have a basis; there is no causation without such a selection
[Schaffer,J]
|
14567
|
Privileging one cause is just an epistemic or pragmatic matter, not an ontological one
[Mumford/Anjum]
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