Causal reasoning in a logic with possible causal process semantics

We point to several kinds of knowledge that play an important role in controversial examples of actual causation. One is knowledge about the causal mechanisms in the domain and the causal processes that result from them. Another is knowledge of what conditions trigger such mechanisms and under what conditions it can be preempted.We argue that to solve questions of actual causation, such knowledge needs to be made explicit. To this end, we develop a new language in the family of CP-logic, in which causal mechanisms and causal processes are formal objects. We then build a regularity-theoretic framework for actual causation in which various notions of actual causation are defined. Contrary to counterfactual definitions, actual causes are defined directly in terms of the (formal) causal process that causes the possible world.

Publication year:2018

Accessibility:Open