Single Idea 22614

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

Full Idea

The core of agency and interventionist theories of causation is that c counts as the cause of e iff E reliably appears and disappears when you manipulate C.

Gist of Idea

Interventionist causal theory says it gets a reliable result whenever you manipulate it

Source

R.D. Ingthorsson (A Powerful Particulars View of Causation [2021], 2.1)

Book Reference

'Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Time', ed/tr. Callender,Craig [OUP 2013], p.23


A Reaction

[C is the type of c; E is the type of e] James Woodward champions this view. Ingthorsson objects that the theory offers no explanation of the appearances and disappearances. You can't manipulate black holes…