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Backward causation: harder than it looks

Stradis, Athamos (2022) Backward causation: harder than it looks. [Preprint]

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Abstract

According to Albert, there are certain situations where we can cause past events. In response to a well-known objection that we never observe backward causation, he argues that there are good reasons why we can’t tell when it obtains. However, I identify a new difficulty with Albert’s view: at face value, it has the unattractive consequence that backward causation is not just possible but downright rife. In this paper I show how this implication can be blocked. I then use my analysis to defend Albert’s account from a second well-known objection, namely that it allows us to control the past.


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Item Type: Preprint
Creators:
CreatorsEmailORCID
Stradis, Athamosathamos.stradis@kcl.ac.uk0000-0002-1836-7922
Keywords: Causation; Control; Backward Causation; Causal Arrow; Time-Asymmetry; Time's Arrow; Mentaculus
Subjects: General Issues > Scientific Metaphysics
General Issues > Causation
Depositing User: Mr Athamos Stradis
Date Deposited: 20 Mar 2022 03:29
Last Modified: 20 Mar 2022 03:29
Item ID: 20347
Subjects: General Issues > Scientific Metaphysics
General Issues > Causation
Date: 2022
URI: https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/20347

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