PhilSci Archive

Causes with material continuity

Ross, Lauren N. (2020) Causes with material continuity. [Preprint]

This is the latest version of this item.

[img]
Preview
Text
MC_causation_final_Ross.pdf

Download (168kB) | Preview

Abstract

Recent philosophical work on causation has focused on distinctions across types of causal relationships. Of the various ways that causal relationships can differ, differences that have been discussed in this literature include stability, specificity, and proportionality (Woodward 2010; Lombrozo et al. 2018). This paper argues for another distinction among causation that has yet to receive attention in this work. This distinction has to do with whether causal relationships have “material continuity” or not, which refers to the reliable movement of material from cause to effect. I provide an analysis of material continuity and argue that causes with this feature (1) are associated with a unique explanatory perspective, (2) are studied with distinct causal investigative methods, and (3) provide different types of causal control over the world.


Export/Citation: EndNote | BibTeX | Dublin Core | ASCII/Text Citation (Chicago) | HTML Citation | OpenURL
Social Networking:
Share |

Item Type: Preprint
Creators:
CreatorsEmailORCID
Ross, Lauren N.rossl@uci.edu
Keywords: causation; causal explanation; material cause; distinctions among causation
Subjects: General Issues > Causation
General Issues > Explanation
Depositing User: Lauren N. Ross
Date Deposited: 12 Feb 2022 22:45
Last Modified: 12 Feb 2022 22:45
Item ID: 20216
Subjects: General Issues > Causation
General Issues > Explanation
Date: 10 December 2020
URI: https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/20216

Available Versions of this Item

Monthly Views for the past 3 years

Monthly Downloads for the past 3 years

Plum Analytics

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item