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Single Idea 8380

[from 'On the Notion of Cause' by Bertrand Russell, in 26. Natural Theory / C. Causation / 9. General Causation / a. Constant conjunction ]

Full Idea

A may be the cause of B even if there actually are cases of B not following A. Striking a match will be the cause of its igniting, in spite of the fact that some matches are damp and fail to ignite.

Gist of Idea

Striking a match causes its igniting, even if it sometimes doesn't work

Source

Bertrand Russell (On the Notion of Cause [1912], p.185)

Book Reference

Russell,Bertrand: 'Mysticism and Logic' [Unwin 1989], p.185


A Reaction

An important point, although defenders of the constant conjunction view can cope with it. There is a further regularity between dampness of matches and their failure to strike.