Causation: A Very Short Introduction

Description

Causation is the most fundamental connection in the universe. Without it, there would be no science or technology. There would be no moral responsibility either, as none of our thoughts would be connected with our actions and none of our actions with any consequences. Nor would we have a system of law because blame resides only in someone having caused injury or damage. Any intervention we make in the world around us is premised on there being causal connections that are, to a degree, predictable. It is causation that is at the basis of prediction and also explanation. This Very Short Introduction introduces the key theories of causation and also the surrounding debates and controversies. About the Series: Oxford's Very Short Introductions series offers concise and original introductions to a wide range of subjects--from Islam to Sociology, Politics to Classics, Literary Theory to History, and Archaeology to the Bible. Not simply a textbook of definitions, each volume in this series provides trenchant and provocative--yet always balanced and complete--discussions of the central issues in a given discipline or field. Every Very Short Introduction gives a readable evolution of the subject in question, demonstrating how the subject has developed and how it has influenced society. Eventually, the series will encompass every major academic discipline, offering all students an accessible and abundant reference library. Whatever the area of study that one deems important or appealing, whatever the topic that fascinates the general reader, the Very Short Introductions series has a handy and affordable guide that will likely prove indispensable. Cover......Page 1 Very Short Introductions......Page 4 Title......Page 11 Copyright......Page 12 Contents......Page 13 List of illustrations......Page 15 Introduction: why causation?......Page 17 1. The problem, or: what's the matter with causation?......Page 20 2. Regularity, or: causation without connection?......Page 31 3. Time and space, or: do causes occur before their effects?......Page 43 4. Necessity, or: do causes guarantee their effects?......Page 54 5. Counterfactual dependance, or: do causes make a difference?......Page 67 6. Physicalism, or: is it all transference?......Page 79 7. Pluralism, or: is causation many different things?......Page 91 8. Primitivism, or: is causation the most basic thing?......Page 101 9. Dispositionalism, or: what tends to be?......Page 112 10. Finding causes, or: where are they?......Page 125 A very short afterword......Page 136 Further reading......Page 137 Index......Page 141