A Regularity Theoretic Approach to Actual Causation
| Venue: | ERKENNTNIS |
| Citations: | 1 - 0 self |
BibTeX
@MISC{Baumgartner_aregularity,
author = {Michael Baumgartner},
title = { A Regularity Theoretic Approach to Actual Causation},
year = {}
}
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Abstract
The majority of the currently flourishing theories of actual (token-level) causation are located in a broadly counterfactual framework that draws on structural equations. In order to account for cases of symmetric overdeterminiation and preemption, these theories resort to rather intricate analytical tools, most of all, to what Hitchcock (2001) has labeled explicitly nonforetracking counterfactuals. This paper introduces a regularity theoretic approach to actual causation that only employs material (non-modal) conditionals, standard Boolean minimization procedures, and a (non-modal) stability condition that regulates the behavior of causal models under model expansions. Notwithstanding its lightweight analytical toolbox, this regularity theory performs at least as well as the structural equations accounts with their heavy appliances.
Keyphrases
actual causation regularity theoretic approach counterfactual framework lightweight ana-lytical toolbox nonforetracking counterfactuals causal model structural equation heavy appliance model expansion symmetric overdeterminiation stability condition regularity theoretic ap-proach analytical tool standard boolean minimization procedure regularity theory performs structural equation account
