more from Jonathan Schaffer

Single Idea 10388

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

Full Idea

Causation can't be eliminated if it is needed to explain persistence, explanation, disposition, perception, warrant, action, responsibility, mental functional role, conceptual content, and reference. It's elimination would be catastrophic.

Gist of Idea

Causation is utterly essential for numerous philosophical explanations

Source

Jonathan Schaffer (The Metaphysics of Causation [2007], 2.1.2)

Book Reference

'Stanford Online Encyclopaedia of Philosophy', ed/tr. Stanford University [plato.stanford.edu], p.23


A Reaction

[compressed list] I think I am going to vote for the view that causation is one of the primitives in the metaphysics of nature, so I have to agree with this. Most of the listed items, though, are controversial, so eliminativists are not defeated.