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Questions for Thought and Discussion

• How important is causation for all sciences and the humanities? Could some sciences do without causation?
• Philosophers argue over what causation is. Scientists try to develop the best methods for finding causation. Why is causation such a difficult matter?
• To what extent is correlation an indication of causation? Would all the theories of causation suggest that there is a link between the two?
• Do causes have to come before their effects?
• Can we ever have the cause without the effect?
• In developing new technology our causal understanding and knowledge seems essential. How would we go about getting the required causal knowledge?
• Pluralism suggests that causation could be many different things. Could we reconcile all the philosophical theories or do some fit better together than others?
• Do all causes make a difference? Is everything that makes a difference a cause?
• Are all our choices, thoughts and behaviour caused by something physical? Are all causal processes ultimately physical processes?
• Many theories try to understand causation by replacing it with some other notions, such as difference-making, constant conjunction or probability-raising. Can causation really be replaced by another notion?
• How, if at all, are dispositions related to causation?
• Can absences be causes? If so, how would they bring about an effect? How important is it for scientific and other explanations to invoke absences as causes?
• How are our philosophical theories of causation reflected in scientific methods such as experiments, randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and statistics?
• Which scientific method or methods do you take to be the best for finding causation and why?
• Which theory or theories of causation do you find the most plausible and why?

Other publications by the authors

• Stephen Mumford and Rani Lill Anjum Getting Causes from Powers (Oxford University Press, 2011)
• Stephen Mumford Metaphysics: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2012)
• Stephen Mumford Laws in Nature (Routledge, 2004)

Further Reading

• Beebee, H. Hitchcock, C. and Menzies, P., The Oxford Handbook of Causation (Oxford University Press, 2009)
• Psillos, S., Causation and Explanation (Acumen, 2002)
• Mackie, J. L., The Cement of the Universe: A Study of Causation (Oxford University Press, 1980)
• Cartwright, N., Hunting Causes and Using Them (Cambridge University Press, 2007)
• Woodward, J., Making Things Happen: A Theory of Causal Explanation (Oxford University Press, 2003)