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Single Idea 15551
[filed under theme 26. Natural Theory / C. Causation / 8. Particular Causation / d. Selecting the cause
]
Full Idea
There is no one right way - though there may be more or less natural ways - of carving up a causal history.
Gist of Idea
Ways of carving causes may be natural, but never 'right'
Source
David Lewis (Causal Explanation [1986], I)
Book Ref
Lewis,David: 'Philosophical Papers Vol.2' [OUP 1986], p.215
A Reaction
This invites a distinction between the 'natural' causes and the 'real' causes. Presumably if any causes were 'real', they would have a better claim to be 'right'. Is an earthquake the 'real' (correct?) cause of a tsunami?
The
14 ideas
with the same theme
[naming 'the' cause among the pre-condtions of events]:
10391
|
Causes and conditions are not distinct, because we select capriciously from among them
[Mill]
|
14547
|
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
|
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]
|