Three Concepts of Actual Causation
Research output: Contribution to journal › Research article › Contributed › peer-review
Contributors
Abstract
I argue that we need to distinguish between three concepts of actual causation: total, path-changing, and contributing actual causation. I provide two lines of argument in support of this account. First, I address three thought experiments that have been troublesome for unified accounts of actual causation, and I show that my account provides a better explanation of corresponding causal intuitions. Second, I provide a functional argument: if we assume that a key purpose of causal concepts is to guide agency, we are better off making a distinction between three concepts of actual causation.
Details
| Original language | English |
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| Pages (from-to) | 77-98 |
| Number of pages | 22 |
| Journal | The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science |
| Volume | 75 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - Mar 2024 |
| Peer-reviewed | Yes |
| Externally published | Yes |
External IDs
| Scopus | 85192975290 |
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