Philosophy, Department of

 

Date of this Version

2005

Citation

Published in Synthese 144 (2005), pp. 357–371.

Comments

Copyright © 2005 Springer. Used by permission.

Abstract

To determine whether dispositions are causally relevant, we have to get clear about what causal relevance is. Several characteristics of causal relevance have been suggested, including Explanatory Power, Counterfactual Dependence, Lawfulness, Exclusion, Independence, and Minimal Sufficiency. Different accounts will yield different answers about the causal relevance of dispositions. However, accounts of causal relevance that are the most plausible, for independent reasons, render the verdict that dispositions are causally relevant.

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