Glynn, L;
(2013)
Of Miracles and Interventions.
Erkenntnis
, 78
(S1)
pp. 43-64.
10.1007/s10670-013-9436-5.
Preview |
Text
Fenton-Glynn_Web Version.pdf Download (2MB) | Preview |
Abstract
In Making Things Happen, James Woodward influentially combines a causal modeling analysis of actual causation with an interventionist semantics for the counterfactuals encoded in causal models. This leads to circularities, since interventions are defined in terms of both actual causation and interventionist counterfactuals. Circularity can be avoided by instead combining a causal modeling analysis with a semantics along the lines of that given by David Lewis, on which counterfactuals are to be evaluated with respect to worlds in which their antecedents are realized by miracles. I argue, pace Woodward, that causal modeling analyses perform just as well when combined with the Lewisian semantics as when combined with the interventionist semantics. Reductivity therefore remains a reasonable hope.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Of Miracles and Interventions |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10670-013-9436-5 |
| Publisher version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10670-013-9436-5 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10670-013-9436-5. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of Arts and Humanities UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Dept of Philosophy |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1406968 |
Archive Staff Only
 |
View Item |
