Probabilistic Causation and Causal Processes: A Critique of Lewis
- 1 December 1989
- journal article
- Published by Cambridge University Press (CUP) in Philosophy of Science
- Vol. 56 (4) , 642-663
- https://doi.org/10.1086/289518
Abstract
This paper examines a promising probabilistic theory of singular causation developed by David Lewis. I argue that Lewis' theory must be made more sophisticated to deal with certain counterexamples involving pre-emption. These counterexamples appear to show that in the usual case singular causation requires an unbroken causal process to link cause with effect. I propose a new probabilistic account of singular causation, within the framework developed by Lewis, which captures this intuition.Keywords
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