Single Idea 10377

[catalogued under 26. Natural Theory / C. Causation / 4. Naturalised causation]

Full Idea

One problem case for the process view of causation is 'disconnection'. If a brick breaks a window by being fired from a catapult, a latch is released which was preventing the catapult from firing, so the 'process' is just internal to the catapult.

Gist of Idea

Causation may not be a process, if a crucial part of the process is 'disconnected'

Source

Jonathan Schaffer (The Metaphysics of Causation [2007], 2.1.1)

Book Reference

'Stanford Online Encyclopaedia of Philosophy', ed/tr. Stanford University [plato.stanford.edu], p.19


A Reaction

Schaffer says the normal reply is to deny that the catch-releasing is genuinely causal. I would have thought we should go more fine-grained, and identify linked components of the causal process.