Description
Book SynopsisThroughout history, the world and its operation have been viewed in terms of cause and effect. The principles of causation have been applied, fruitfully, across the sciences, law, and medicine, and in everyday life, despite the lack of any agreed-upon framework for understanding what causation ultimately amounts to.
Trade Review"A terrific introduction to the topic of causation in philosophy and cognate fields. His writing is clear and engaging without sacrificing rigor or conceptual sophistication. In this short book he surveys all of the major approaches to the topic. But more importantly, he shows the reader what it is like to explore the nuances of a complex subject with the benefit of a keen philosophical mind."
Chris Hitchcock, California Institute of Technology"An engaging and long-overdue introduction to causation: what philosophers have said about it, why they've had trouble agreeing with each other, and why it matters, for all of us."
Carolina Sartorio, University of ArizonaTable of Contents1 Introduction: All Things Causal 1
2 Causal Oomph 19
3 Process and Mechanism 41
4 Difference-Making 62
5 Determination 84
6 Probability-Raising 98
7 Manipulation and Intervention 122
8 Mental Causation 141
Notes 160
Bibliography 163
Index 170
