Casting a Shadow on Lewis’s Theory of Causation

In: Organon F, vol. 26, no. 2

Erdinç Sayan

Details:

Year, pages: 2019, 287 - 297

Language: eng

Keywords:

Absence causation; counterfactual theory of causation; influence theory of causation; overdetermination; preemptive prevention; trumping pre-emption

Article type: Research Article

Document type: Research Article

DOI: https://doi.org/10.31577/orgf.2019.26206

Full text

About article:

First I present a puzzle involving two opaque objects and a shadow cast on the ground. After I offer a solution to this puzzle by identifying which of the objects is causally responsible for the shadow, I argue that this case poses a counterexample to David Lewis’s latest counterfactual account of causation, known as his influence theory. Along the way, I discuss preemption, overdetermination, absence causation, and trumping preemption.

How to cite:

ISO 690:

Sayan, E. 2019. Casting a Shadow on Lewis’s Theory of Causation. In Organon F, vol. 26, no.2, pp. 287-297. 1335-0668. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31577/orgf.2019.26206

APA:

Sayan, E. (2019). Casting a Shadow on Lewis’s Theory of Causation. Organon F, 26(2), 287-297. 1335-0668. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31577/orgf.2019.26206

About edition:

Publisher: Institute of Philosophy of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences

Published: 8. 5. 2019

Rights:

Erdinç Sayan