Indeterminacy in Causation

Philosophical Quarterly 67 (268):606-624 (2016)
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Abstract

I argue that there are some causal relata for which it is indeterminate whether one caused the other. Positing indeterminacy in causation helps us defend contested principles in the logic of causation and makes possible new ways of thinking about the theoretical impact of symmetric causal overdetermination. I close by discussing amendments of current theories of causation that would help explain causal indeterminacy.

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Eric Swanson
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Citations of this work

Brute ignorance.Sam Carter - 2025 - Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 110 (1):113-128.
Three Kinds of Causal Indeterminacy.Vera Hoffmann-Kolss - forthcoming - Australasian Journal of Philosophy.

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References found in this work

Grounding in the image of causation.Jonathan Schaffer - 2016 - Philosophical Studies 173 (1):49-100.
A Theory of Conditionals.Robert Stalnaker - 1968 - In Nicholas Rescher (ed.), Studies in Logical Theory. Oxford,: Blackwell. pp. 98-112.
Causation.David Lewis - 1973 - Journal of Philosophy 70 (17):556-567.
Vagueness, truth and logic.Kit Fine - 1975 - Synthese 30 (3-4):265-300.
General semantics.David K. Lewis - 1970 - Synthese 22 (1-2):18--67.

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