more from this thinker | more from this text
Full Idea
We accept primitivism about causation, for how could there be something even more basic in the world than causation, which might allow us to bring forth a reductive analysis?
Gist of Idea
We take causation to be primitive, as it is hard to see how it could be further reduced
Source
S.Mumford/R.Lill Anjum (Getting Causes from Powers [2011], Concl)
Book Ref
Anjum,R.J./Mumford,S.: 'Getting Causes from Powers' [OUP 2011], p.237
A Reaction
I think I agree with this view, and for the same reason. I can't imagine how one could cite any 'categorical' or 'structural' properties, or anything else, without invoking causal phenomena in their characterisation.
4777 | The word 'cause' is an abstraction from a group of causal terms in a language (scrape, push..) [Anscombe] |
15246 | Active causal power is just objects at work, not something existing in itself [Harré/Madden] |
10380 | Causation is primitive; it is too intractable and central to be reduced; all explanations require it [Schaffer,J] |
10385 | If causation is just observables, or part of common sense, or vacuous, it can't be primitive [Schaffer,J] |
14587 | We take causation to be primitive, as it is hard to see how it could be further reduced [Mumford/Anjum] |