Causation The Countefactual Theory

The Constant Conjunction Theory The Constant Conjunction Theory: Necessarily, for any events c and e, c is a cause of e iff there are event kinds F and G, such that c is an F, e is a G, and every F- event is followed by a G-event. Objection #1: Lucky Conjunction Objection #2: Epiphenomena

Counterfactuals The Counterfactual Theory: Necessarily, for any events c and e, c is a cause of e iff, if c had not occurred, then e would not have occurred.

Counterfactuals The Counterfactual Theory: Necessarily, for any events c and e, c is a cause of e iff, if c had not occurred, then e would not have occurred. Objection #1: Causes vs. Conditions Objection #2: Overdetermination Objection #3: Preemption Objection #4: Chancy Causation Objection #5: Overlapping

Preemption e counterfactually depends on c iff e would not have occurred in the absence of c. e 1, e 2, …, e n is a chain of counterfactual dependence iff each member of the chain counterfactually depends on the previous member. The Revised Counterfactual Theory: Necessarily, for any events c and e, c is a cause of e iff there is a chain of counterfactual dependence from c to e.