more on this theme | more from this thinker
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?
4396 | The law of causality is a source of confusion, and should be dropped from philosophy [Russell] |
8375 | 'Necessary' is a predicate of a propositional function, saying it is true for all values of its argument [Russell] |
8376 | If causes are contiguous with events, only the last bit is relevant, or the event's timing is baffling [Russell] |
8378 | Philosophers usually learn science from each other, not from science [Russell] |
8379 | In causal laws, 'events' must recur, so they have to be universals, not particulars [Russell] |
8380 | Striking a match causes its igniting, even if it sometimes doesn't work [Russell] |
8381 | The constancy of scientific laws rests on differential equations, not on cause and effect [Russell] |