Week 7 discussion
May 5, 2024
This week we’ll continue to learn about Interventionism and also look at the last theory of causation: Mechanical/Process theory (which Woodward also called Geometrical theory, because of its typical association with space). In this week’s discussions, please address the following issues:
The causal graph (esp. DAG, or causal model in general) is a very useful tool in causal reasoning. What kind of benefits does it have over model-free approaches?
Mechanical/Process account of causation has its problems but also has its strong appeal. How does Woodward try to solve its problems while still retaining most of its virtues?
(Optional) Woodward focused primarily on type causation, though he did try to address token causation in the Appendix. The kind of token causation that is of primary interest is actual causation, concerning the causal relationship between actual events that happen in the (actual) world. There are different accounts of actual causation. What is the best theory (or some ideas) you like on actual causation? Elaborate a bit.
Thanks for your solid contributions to the forum, and please continue to make a serious effort engaging with each other.
Trust your assignments to an essay writing service with the fastest delivery time and fully original content.