Causation
Causal talk is ubiquitous in every day life, but it has proved
remarkably difficult to give a philosophical account of just what
it is for one thing to cause another.
The modern discussion was started by Hume, who suggested all
three of the main types of account, while claiming that they were
all the same.
Literature
Hume's discussion of causation can be found in
Hume 1739, Book I, Part III,
sections I-VI, XIV.
Accounts
C causes E if E occurs whenever C does.
C causes E if E would not have happened if C hadn't.
Psychological
C causes E if the mind is moved to consider E whenever it becomes
aware of C. This is not a popular position at present.
There is no such thing as causation.
Problems
These problems affect all accounts, some more so than others.
Common Cause
If E and F are both caused by C, but do not cause each other, then
our account should not say that E does cause F.
Overdetermination
If C caused E, and D could have, but didn't, then our account
should say that C does cause E and D does not.
Probabilistic Causation
Cases in which E might, or might not, happen, no matter what causes
are present.