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Theoretical Analytic Philosophy > Metaphysics III - Causation, determination & free will > Flashcards

Metaphysics III - Causation, determination & free will Flashcards

1
Q

Which two perliminary issues need to be identified before discussing causation?

A
  1. A distinction between the metaphysical debat about what constitutes causation, and the epistemological debate about explanation/prediction
  2. What kind of entities cause cause and effect/what are causal relata
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2
Q

What are Aristotle’s four causes?

A
  1. Efficient cause: ‘Because…’
  2. Teleological/final cause: explaining causation in terms of purpose of something
  3. Formal cause = the pattern/form realizing the change
  4. Material cause: what materially realizes the causation
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3
Q

What is the efficient cause?

A

The event bringing aobut the change

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4
Q

What is the teleological/final cause?

A

The function the change fulfills

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5
Q

What is the formal cause?

A

The pattern/form realizing the change

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6
Q

What is the material cause?

A

The matter realizing the change

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7
Q

What are causal relata?

A

Kinds of entities being related by causation (e.g. events/facts)

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8
Q

Which kind of entities does Hume see as causal relata? Which objection can be raised to this?

A

Objects
It is not the objects that cause anything, but the events the object are involved in

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9
Q

What is the contemporary view of most philosophers with regards to what kind of entities causal relata are?

A

Events -> one event causes the other

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10
Q

What is event causation?

A

Causation that occurs when an event is caused by another, earlier event

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11
Q

What is a weakness of event causation?

A

It cannot explain causation by absence = change caused by something that didn’t happen

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12
Q

What are possible solutions to explain causation by absence?

A
  1. Negative events (=not popular)
  2. Taking facts as causal relata (Armstrong)
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13
Q

What is the weakness of facts as causal relata?

A

Facts are abstract truth-makers -> it seems counter-intuitive that concrete changes can result from abstract entities

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14
Q

What is Humeanism?

A

Avoiding invoking an alleged necessity of the relation between cause and effect

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15
Q

Which two theories about causation are based on Humeanism?

A
  1. Regularity theory of causation
  2. Counterfactual theory of causation
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16
Q

What is the regularity theory of causation?

A

An event A causes event B if and only if:
1. There is a chain of spatiotemporally contiguous causes and effects between A and B’
2. A precedes B in time
3. All events of the type that A is (cause-type) are followed by the type of events that type B is (=effect-type) (=there must be regularity)

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17
Q

To which of Aristotle’s four causes is regularity theory most analogous?

A

Formal cause

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18
Q

What are the objections to the regularity theory of causation? (3)

A
  1. Reid: night is time and again followed by day in a pattern -> does night cause day? -> no!
  2. It does not leave room for unique events, only for events that time and again follow the same pattern
  3. It does not define how and to what respect similar causes/effects need to be to constitute a type
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19
Q

What is a solution to the objection to the regularity theory of causation does not leave space for unique events?

A

Singularism: what it takes for one thing to cause another depends only on what goes on between two particular relata; it does not matter what goes on in the rest of the universe

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20
Q

What is the counterfactual theory of causation?

A

An event A causes B if and only if:
1. A and B occur
2. If A had not occured, B would not have occured after

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21
Q

To which of Aristotle’s four causes is counterfactual theory most analogous?

A

Efficient cause

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22
Q

What is the weakness of the counterfactual theory of causation?

A

It cannot deal with redundant causation

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23
Q

What is redundant causation?

A

Pre-emption and overdetermination: plenty of causes producing an effect, seemingly cancelling one another out

24
Q

What is pre-emption?

A

If A caused B, but if A hadn’t occured, C could have caused B instead

Has a temporal aspect in it -> consecutive causes

25
What is overdetermination?
Both A and B cause C simulataneously, but if A hadn't occured, B would still have caused C and vice versa Has a temporal apect in it -> causes at the same time
26
Which theory of causation builds on the counterfactual theory of causation? How?
Probablistic theory of causation: causes are neither necessary nor sufficient for their effect, but merely raises the probability of its effect Counterfactual interpretation: if the cause had not occured, the chance of the effect would have been lower than it actually was
27
What are the three alternatives of Humeanism (=regularity theory of causation + probablistic theory of causation)?
1. Primitivist theory of causation 2. Process theory of causation 3. Pluralist theory of causation
28
What is the primitivist theory of causation?
The problems that reductive approaches face can be responded to by taking causal necessity to be a primitive relation -> the notion of cause is unanalyzable, A causes B only if A necessitates B
29
What is the process/physical theory of causation?
Causation is a non-mysterious relation of transfer of energy, energy momentum or any other conserved quality
30
To which of Aristotle's four causes is process/physical theory of causation most analogous?
Material cause
31
What is the benefit of process/physical theory of causation?
It can deal with pre-emption
32
What is the flaw of process/physical theory of causation?
It cannot account focausation by absence
33
What is the pluralist theory of causation?
Causation cannot be analyzed unequivocally, no single theory covers 'cause' in all its diversity
34
What are reasons to investigate cause and effect?
1. For explanatory purposes 2. For the attribution of moral responsibility (note: can cover obth actoins as wel as omissions)
35
What is the principle of alternate possibility, and how does it relate to moral responsibility?
One can be morally responsible for doing something only if one could have done otherwise
36
What is causal/hard determinism? What does it mean for free will and moral responsibility?
The view that every events results from past events and the laws of nature; if this is true, our actions are necessitated by forces beyond our control -> this would mean that we are not morally responsible for it
37
What is the consequence argument? To which view on free will & moral responsibility does it belong?
If our actions are necessitated by forced beyond our control, then we have no free will and thus no moral responsibility (if we accept the principle of alternate possibility) Belongs to incompatiblism
38
What is incompatiblism?
The view that causal determinism is incompatible with the possibility of free acton (and therefore also moral responsibility)
39
Which two things are incompatible according to incompatiblism?
1. Hard detemrinism: there are no free actions, and hence no free will 2. Libertarianism: free actions are caused by selves/agents/people
40
What is libertarianism?
View that free actions result from agent causation
41
What is agent causation?
Causation that occurs when an event is caused by an agent, self or person
42
Agent causation is often contrasted with [...]? How can one be critical of this?
Event causation Agent causation could also be seen as a special case of event causation
43
Which views challenge incompatiblism? (2)
1. Traditional compatiblism 2. Hierarchical compatiblism
44
What is traditional compatiblism?
Despite appearances to the contrary, determinism and free wil/moral responsibility are compatible after all
45
How does traditional compatiblism unify determinism and free will/moral responsibility?
Actions are caused by our wills/desires and not externally constrained -> Although in the actual world you could not have done otherwise because your choices are causally determined, in the possible worlds in which you had the possibility to do otherwise, you would have done otherwise
46
How does Frankfurt undermine the principle of alternative possibilities?
BY his decision-demon thought experiments
47
What are the characteristics of Frankfurt's decision demon, and what is his thought experiment?
Characteristics: 1. The decision-demon is able to observe decision processes in an actors' mind 2. The decision-demon is able to make the acteor change their mind 3. The decision-demon only interferes when needed -> when the actor is intending to something else than what the decision-demon wants them to do Thought experiment: you can think of it yourself!
48
What does Frankfurt argue for by undermining the principle of alternative possibilities?
Hierarchical compatibilism
49
What is hierarchical compatibilism?
Free actions are overdetermined by both external factors and one's choice to effectuate the highest-order desires, with which one wholeheartedly identifies oneself
50
What is the criterion for moral responsibility according to hierarchical compatibilism?
Self-integration
51
What is self-integration?
Bringing lower- and higher=order desires into harmony and wholeheartedly identifying oneself with them on the highest level
52
Which four types of drug users examplify self-integration? What is their status of self-integration, free will, and are they morally responsible?
1. Wanton addict: acts on their desires without any restraint, without reflection on their actions -No self-integration -No free will -No moral responsibility 2. Unwilling addict: has formed a second-order desire not to use drugs that is in contrast to their first-order desires to use drugs, and therefore they are unhappy -No self-integration due to the contrast between first- and second-order desires -No free will -No moral responsibility 3. Happy addict: an addict that is not free (because they are an addict), but that has harmony between higher- en lower-order desires -Self-integrated -No free will -Morally responsible (because: self-integrated) 4. Occasional drug user: can fulfil their first order desires whenever they freely choose to do so -Self-integrated -Free wil -Morally responsible (because: self-integrated)
53
What is a first-order desire?
A desire directed on an object or state of affairs
54
What is a second-order desire?
A desire directed on a first-order desire
55
What is an explanation?
The epistemic counterpart of causation

Theoretical Analytic Philosophy (7 decks)

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