The Nature of Causation

Oxford University

We have causal theories of reference, perception, knowledge, content and numerous other things. If it were to turn out that causation doesn’t exist, we would be in serious trouble! Causation is so important in fact that it has been said that: “With regard to our total conceptual apparatus, causation is the centre of the centre”, and it has been called called ‘the cement of the universe’. In these lectures you will be introduced to the most influential theories of causation, the motivations for them and arguments behind them, and the problems they face.

Episodes

Both time and causation seems to have the same 'direction’ . Can we explain this? Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

Jun 9, 2016

1 hr 30 min

Mental Causation

We do what we do because we believe what we believe. Or do we? How does mental causation work? Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

Jun 9, 2016

1 hr 33 min

The necessary connection analysis of causation

The idea that there are real metaphysical necessities relating cause and effect. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

Jun 9, 2016

1 hr 28 min

The singularist theory of causation

The idea that causation is a relation science will one day discover. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

Jun 9, 2016

1 hr 36 min

The regularity theory of causation

Hume's famously influential account of causation Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

Jun 9, 2016

1 hr 31 min

The counterfactual theory of causation

The idea that event c causes event e if and only if had c not had occurred e would not have occurred either. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

Jun 9, 2016

1 hr 35 min