Causation

Abstract

This chapter investigates the relation between an ontology of power and influence and the metaphysics of causation. A traditional approach to this task might involve an attempt to provide a conceptual analysis of causation in terms of power and influence, but that is not the approach taken here, for it is argued that there is no single concept of causation. Rather, following Ned Hall, the various concepts of causation are divided into two main camps, causation as production and causation as dependence. In both camps, it is shown, the characteristic features of causation can be generated by the existence of appropriate powers and influences, and questions about whether causation has occurred can be answered, in part, by looking at the arrangement of relevant powers and influences. Thus, it is argued that causation is grounded in structures of causal influence.