Probabilistic Causality (Cambridge Studies in Probability, Induction and Decision Theory)

JNC Academic Books Verified independent store

→

Ellery EellsCambridge University Press, 5/30/1991EAN 9780521392440, ISBN10: 0521392446Hardcover, 428 pages, 22.8 x 15.2 x 2.7 cmLanguage: EnglishIn this important book, Ellery Eell s explores and refines philosophical conceptions of probabilistic causality. In a probabilistic theory of causation, causes increase the probability of their effects rather than necessitate their effects in the ways traditional deterministic theories have specified. Philosophical interest in this subject arises from attempts to understand population sciences as well as indeterminism in physics. Taking into account issues involving spurious correlation, probabilistic causal interaction, disjunctive causal factors, and temporal ideas, Professor Eells advances the analysis of what it is for one factor to be a positive causal factor for another. A salient feature of the book is a theory of token level probabilistic causation in which the evolution of the probability of a later event from an earlier event is central. This will be a book of crucial significance to philosophers of science and metaphysicians; it will also prove stimulating to many economists, psychologists, and physicists.PrefaceIntroduction1. Populations and probability2. Spurious correlation and probability increase3. Causal interaction and probability increase4. Causal intermediaries and transitivity5. Temporal priority, asymmetry, and some comparisons6. Token-level probabilistic causationl AppendixesBibliographyIndex. Show more