more from this thinker     |     more from this text

Single Idea 4396

[filed under theme 26. Natural Theory / C. Causation / 7. Eliminating causation ]

Full Idea

The law of causality, I believe, like much that passes muster among philosophers, is a relic of a bygone age, surviving, like the monarchy, only because it is erroneously supposed to do no harm.

Gist of Idea

The law of causality is a source of confusion, and should be dropped from philosophy

Source

Bertrand Russell (On the Notion of Cause [1912], p.173)

Book Ref

Russell,Bertrand: 'Mysticism and Logic' [Unwin 1989], p.173

A Reaction

A bold proposal which should be taken seriously. However, if we drop it from scientific explanation, we may well find ourselves permanently stuck with it in 'folk' explanation. What is the alternative?

The 19 ideas with the same theme [scepticism about the whole idea of causation]:

3062 There are no causes, because they are relative, and alike things can't cause one another [Pyrrho, by Diog. Laertius]
1896 If there were no causes then everything would have been randomly produced by everything [Sext.Empiricus]
1897 Knowing an effect results from a cause means knowing that the cause belongs with the effect, which is circular [Sext.Empiricus]
1898 Cause can't exist before effect, or exist at the same time, so it doesn't exist [Sext.Empiricus]
8341 Hume never even suggests that there is no such thing as causation [Hume, by Strawson,G]
12113 The search for first or final causes is futile [Comte]
24140 Cause and effect is a hypothesis, based on our supposed willing of actions [Nietzsche]
4542 Science has taken the meaning out of causation; cause and effect are two equal sides of an equation [Nietzsche]
4396 The law of causality is a source of confusion, and should be dropped from philosophy [Russell]
8376 If causes are contiguous with events, only the last bit is relevant, or the event's timing is baffling [Russell]
14172 Moments and points seem to imply other moments and points, but don't cause them [Russell]
14175 We can drop 'cause', and just make inferences between facts [Russell]
11954 We should analyse causation in terms of powers [Molnar]
20366 A mind that could see cause and effect as a continuum would deny cause and effect [Richardson]
15126 Maybe scientific causation is just generalisation about the patterns [Hawthorne]
20650 The Uncertainty Principle implies that cause and effect can't be measured [Watson]
10387 The notion of causation allows understanding of science, without appearing in equations [Schaffer,J]
10388 Causation is utterly essential for numerous philosophical explanations [Schaffer,J]
14954 Causation is found in the special sciences, but may have no role in fundamental physics [Ladyman/Ross]