Unit Two - Causal reasoning Flashcards
causal argument
a form of inductive reasoning where the conclusion is a causal claim.
causal claim
statement about the cause of something.
minimal criterion of causality
Two states of affairs are related as cause and
effect when they are constantly conjoined.
Constant conjunction
situation where, whenever one state of affairs occurs, so does another.
necessary condition
of some state of affairs is something without which it
could not occur.
sufficient condition
of some state of affairs is one which guarantees that it
will occur.
individually necessary
set of conditions individually necessary when each of them, considered alone, is a necessary condition.
jointly sufficient
A set of conditions are jointly sufficient when all of them, considered together, constitutes a sufficient condition.
background condition
a condition of some state of affairs which is
not immediately relevant to our causal reasoning.
proximate cause
a condition of some state of affairs which directly
proceeds it as the most immediate condition which determines whether it will occur.
controllable condition
a condition of some state of affairs which
can readily be changed, or is being changed, in the context of our causal reasoning.
method of agreement
states that if there is some factor (F) which is the only relevant and common factor among multiple occurrences of some state of affairs (S), then F is the cause of S.
method of difference
states that if there is some factor (F) which is the only relevant and common factor present in cases where some state of affairs (S) occurs but absent where S doesn’t occur, then F is the cause
of S.
method of agreement and difference
is when both the method of agreement and the method of difference are used.
method of concomitant variation
states that if there is some factor (F) whose changes are correlated with changes in some state of affairs (S), then F is the cause of S.
Misidentifying relevant factors (common errors)
occurs when we include irrelevant factors or omit relevant factors in our causal reasoning.
Confusing correlation for causation (common errors)
occurs when a coincidence (without causal relation) between two factors misleads us into thinking there is a
causal relation between them.
Confusing cause and effect (common errors)
occurs when a causal relation exists between two factors but we misidentify which is the cause.
Failing to identify a common causal factor (common errors)
occurs when there is a coincidence (without causal
relation) between two factors because both are
caused by a third factor, but we do not identify
this third factor and mistakenly conclude there is
a causal relation between the first two.
Post hoc ergo propter hoc (common errors)
occurs when one factor precedes another (without being its cause) and this leads us to mistakenly conclude that it is
its cause.
