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Full Idea
There is evidence that the concept of causation is innate, or that we are primed to acquire it very early in life, within months at most.
Gist of Idea
Causation seems to be an innate concept (or acquired very early)
Source
Alexander Bird (Causation and the Manifestation of Powers [2010], p.167)
Book Ref
'The Metaphysics of Powers', ed/tr. Marmodoro,Anna [OUP 2013], p.167
A Reaction
Bird doesn't give any references. This is important for our understanding of induction. Creatures seem to learn from a single instance, rather than waiting for habit to be ingrained by many instances. They must infer a cause.
| 2212 | An object made by a saint is the best way to produce thoughts of him [Hume] |
| 2214 | Our awareness of patterns of causation is too important to be left to slow and uncertain reasoning [Hume] |
| 14870 | We experience causation between willing and acting, and thereby explain conjunctions of changes [Nietzsche] |
| 8329 | Either causal relations are given in experience, or they are unobserved and theoretical [Sosa/Tooley] |
| 4769 | It is hard to analyse causation, if it is presupposed in our theory of the functioning of the mind [Psillos] |
| 17527 | Causation seems to be an innate concept (or acquired very early) [Bird] |