| 1995 | Causation |
| p.79 | p.79 | 8406 | Not all explanations are causal, but if a thing can be explained at all, it can be explained causally |
| Full Idea: Although not all explanations are causal, anything which can be explained in any way can be explained causally. | |||
| From: David H. Sanford (Causation [1995], p.79) | |||
| A reaction: A nice bold claim with which I am in sympathy, but he would have a struggle proving it. Does this imply that causal explanations are basic, or in some way superior? Note that functional explanations would thus have underlying causal explanations. |
| p.82 | p.82 | 8407 | A totality of conditions necessary for an occurrence is usually held to be jointly sufficient for it |
| Full Idea: A totality of conditions necessary for an occurrence is jointly sufficient for it. This is a widely held but controversial view, and it is not a logical truth. | |||
| From: David H. Sanford (Causation [1995], p.82) | |||
| A reaction: This wouldn't work for an impossible occurrence. What are the necessary conditions to produce a large planet made of uranium? One of them would have to be a naturally impossible necessity. |