Absence and Abnormality
Absences pose a dilemma for theories of causation. Allowing them to be causes seems to make theories too permissive. Banning them from being causes seems to make theories too restrictive. An increasingly popular approach to this dilemma is to acknowledge that norms can affect which absences count as...
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| Published in | Analysis (Oxford) Vol. 83; no. 1; pp. 98 - 106 |
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| Main Author | |
| Format | Journal Article |
| Language | English |
| Published |
11.08.2023
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| Subjects | |
| Online Access | Get full text |
| ISSN | 0003-2638 1467-8284 1467-8284 |
| DOI | 10.1093/analys/anac030 |
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| Abstract | Absences pose a dilemma for theories of causation. Allowing them to be causes seems to make theories too permissive. Banning them from being causes seems to make theories too restrictive. An increasingly popular approach to this dilemma is to acknowledge that norms can affect which absences count as causes. In this article, I distinguish between two influential implementations of such ‘abnormality’ approaches and argue that so-called ‘double-prevention mechanisms’ provide counterexamples against both. |
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| AbstractList | Absences pose a dilemma for theories of causation. Allowing them to be causes seems to make theories too permissive (Lewis, 2000). Banning them from beingcauses seems to make theories too restrictive (Schaffer, 2000, 2004). An increasingly popular approach to this dilemma is to acknowledge that norms can affect which absences count as causes (e.g., Thomson, 2003; McGrath, 2005; Henneet al., 2017; Willemsen, 2018). In this article, I distinguish between two influential implementations of such ‘abnormality’ approaches and argue that so-called ‘double-prevention mechanisms’ provide counterexamples against both. Absences pose a dilemma for theories of causation. Allowing them to be causes seems to make theories too permissive. Banning them from being causes seems to make theories too restrictive. An increasingly popular approach to this dilemma is to acknowledge that norms can affect which absences count as causes. In this article, I distinguish between two influential implementations of such ‘abnormality’ approaches and argue that so-called ‘double-prevention mechanisms’ provide counterexamples against both. |
| Author | Vaassen, Bram |
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| References | Beebee (2023081111410491100_CIT0001) 2004 Henne (2023081111410491100_CIT0008) 2021; 45 Hitchcock (2023081111410491100_CIT0011) 2009; 106 Henne (2023081111410491100_CIT0009) 2017; 95 Samland (2023081111410491100_CIT0016) 2016; 156 Hitchcock (2023081111410491100_CIT0010) 2007; 116 Clarke (2023081111410491100_CIT0003) 2018; 4 Hall (2023081111410491100_CIT0006) 2004 McGrath (2023081111410491100_CIT0014) 2005; 123 Schaffer (2023081111410491100_CIT0018) 2004 Bernstein (2023081111410491100_CIT0002) 2015; 10 Clarke (2023081111410491100_CIT0004) 2015; 28 Halpern (2023081111410491100_CIT0007) 2015; 66 Willemsen (2023081111410491100_CIT0020) 2018; 195 Rubner (2023081111410491100_CIT0015) 2022 Dowe (2023081111410491100_CIT0005) 2000 Livengood (2023081111410491100_CIT0013) 2020; 87 Willemsen (2023081111410491100_CIT0021) 2019; 14 Lewis (2023081111410491100_CIT0012) 2000; 97 Schaffer (2023081111410491100_CIT0017) 2000; 67 Sytsma (2023081111410491100_CIT0019) 2021; 12 |
| References_xml | – volume: 14 start-page: e12562 year: 2019 ident: 2023081111410491100_CIT0021 article-title: Recent empirical work on the relationship between causal judgements and norms publication-title: Philosophy Compass doi: 10.1111/phc3.12562 – volume: 4 start-page: 323 year: 2018 ident: 2023081111410491100_CIT0003 article-title: Absence causation for causal dispositionalists publication-title: Journal of the American Philosophical Association doi: 10.1017/apa.2018.16 – volume: 66 start-page: 413 year: 2015 ident: 2023081111410491100_CIT0007 article-title: Graded causation and defaults publication-title: British Journal for the Philosophy of Science doi: 10.1093/bjps/axt050 – volume: 45 start-page: e12931 year: 2021 ident: 2023081111410491100_CIT0008 article-title: Norms affect prospective causal judgments publication-title: Cognitive Science doi: 10.1111/cogs.12931 – start-page: e12852 year: 2022 ident: 2023081111410491100_CIT0015 article-title: Normal-proper functions in the philosophy of mind publication-title: Philosophy Compass doi: 10.1111/phc3.12852 – start-page: 291 volume-title: Causation and Counterfactuals year: 2004 ident: 2023081111410491100_CIT0001 article-title: Causing and nothingness doi: 10.7551/mitpress/1752.003.0012 – start-page: 225 volume-title: Causation and Counterfactuals year: 2004 ident: 2023081111410491100_CIT0006 article-title: Two concepts of causation doi: 10.7551/mitpress/1752.003.0010 – volume: 195 start-page: 1587 year: 2018 ident: 2023081111410491100_CIT0020 article-title: Omissions and expectations: a new approach to the things we failed to do publication-title: Synthese doi: 10.1007/s11229-016-1284-9 – volume: 10 start-page: 208 year: 2015 ident: 2023081111410491100_CIT0002 article-title: The metaphysics of omissions publication-title: Philosophy Compass doi: 10.1111/phc3.12206 – volume: 116 start-page: 495 year: 2007 ident: 2023081111410491100_CIT0010 article-title: Prevention, preemption, and the principle of sufficient reason publication-title: Philosophical Review doi: 10.1215/00318108-2007-012 – volume: 12 start-page: 699 year: 2021 ident: 2023081111410491100_CIT0019 article-title: Causation, responsibility, and typicality publication-title: Review of Philosophy and Psychology doi: 10.1007/s13164-020-00498-2 – volume: 106 start-page: 587 year: 2009 ident: 2023081111410491100_CIT0011 article-title: Cause and norm publication-title: Journal of Philosophy doi: 10.5840/jphil20091061128 – volume: 87 start-page: 43 year: 2020 ident: 2023081111410491100_CIT0013 article-title: Actual causation and compositionality publication-title: Philosophy of Science doi: 10.1086/706085 – volume-title: Physical Causation year: 2000 ident: 2023081111410491100_CIT0005 doi: 10.1017/CBO9780511570650 – volume: 67 start-page: 285 year: 2000 ident: 2023081111410491100_CIT0017 article-title: Causation by disconnection publication-title: Philosophy of Science doi: 10.1086/392776 – volume: 95 start-page: 270 year: 2017 ident: 2023081111410491100_CIT0009 article-title: Cause by omission and norm: not watering plants publication-title: Australasian Journal of Philosophy doi: 10.1080/00048402.2016.1182567 – start-page: 197 volume-title: Contemporary Debates in Philosophy of Science year: 2004 ident: 2023081111410491100_CIT0018 article-title: Causes need not be physically connected to their effects: the case for negative causation – volume: 28 start-page: 279 year: 2015 ident: 2023081111410491100_CIT0004 article-title: Causation, norms, and omissions: a study of causal judgments publication-title: Philosophical Psychology doi: 10.1080/09515089.2013.815099 – volume: 156 start-page: 164 year: 2016 ident: 2023081111410491100_CIT0016 article-title: How prescriptive norms influence causal inferences publication-title: Cognition doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2016.07.007 – volume: 97 start-page: 182 year: 2000 ident: 2023081111410491100_CIT0012 article-title: Causation as influence publication-title: Journal of Philosophy doi: 10.2307/2678389 – volume: 123 start-page: 125 year: 2005 ident: 2023081111410491100_CIT0014 article-title: Causation by omission: a dilemma publication-title: Philosophical Studies doi: 10.1007/s11098-004-5216-z |
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| Snippet | Absences pose a dilemma for theories of causation. Allowing them to be causes seems to make theories too permissive. Banning them from being causes seems to... Absences pose a dilemma for theories of causation. Allowing them to be causes seems to make theories too permissive (Lewis, 2000). Banning them from... |
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| SubjectTerms | Abnormality Absence Causation Counterfactual Dependence Norm Normativity Omission |
| Title | Absence and Abnormality |
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