Structural equations and causation

Author: Hall, N.

Source: Philosophical Studies, Volume 132, Number 1, January 2007 , pp. 109-136(28)

Publisher: Springer

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Abstract:

Structural equations have become increasingly popular in recent years as tools for understanding causation. But standard structural equations approaches to causation face deep problems. The most philosophically interesting of these consists in their failure to incorporate a distinction between default states of an object or system, and deviations therefrom. Exploring this problem, and how to fix it, helps to illuminate the central role this distinction plays in our causal thinking.

Keywords: Causation; Counterfactuals; Causal models; Structural equations; Defaults; Deviants

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11098-006-9057-9

Affiliations: 1: Email: ehall@fas.harvard.edu

Publication date: 2007-01-01