Full Idea
When we think we know the cause of an event, we typically assent to the corresponding Hume counterfactual.
Clarification
Hume - 'If C had not occurred, E would not have occurred'
Gist of Idea
If we know the cause of an event, we seem to assent to the counterfactual
Source
Tim Maudlin (The Metaphysics within Physics [2007], 5)
Book Reference
Maudlin,Tim: 'The Metaphysics within Physics' [OUP 2007], p.143
A Reaction
This is the correct grounding of the counterfactual approach - not that we think counterfactuals are causation, but that knowledge of causation will map neatly onto a network of counterfactuals, thus providing a logic for the whole process.