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    Causes must temporally precede their effects, so an effec... — Carmelics
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    Challenges→Functional explanations are legitimate explanations in which a cause is explained by reference to its effect

    Causes must temporally precede their effects, so an effect cannot explain why its cause occurred without vicious circularity.

    ?Rate how convincing each reason is below to see the overall strength.
    1 reason for
    1 reason against

    Reasons For

    1 perspective
    Reason for
    ?
    • 1.Temporal order is fundamental to causation; if effects could precede causes, causation would be logically indistinguishable from mere correlation.
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    • 2.Backward explanation (effect explaining cause) violates asymmetry: we can affect the future but not the past, so causal explanation must respect this direction.
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    • 3.Allowing effects to explain causes creates infinite regress: effect E1 explains cause C, but then what explains E1? Vicious circularity becomes inevitable.
      ?

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    Reasons Against

    1 perspective
    Reason against
    ?
    • 1.In physics, fundamental equations are time-symmetric; temporal asymmetry emerges only at macro scales, not from causation itself.
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    • 2.Teleological explanation (future goal explaining present action) is perfectly coherent in rational agency without temporal paradox or circularity.
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    • 3.Explanation and causation may differ: we can explain why a cause occurred by citing its effects without claiming effects caused the cause itself.
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    Connections

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    Truth & Knowledge1 linkedCausation1 linked

    Related

    Allowing effects to explain causes creates infinite regress: effect E1 explains ...Backward explanation (effect explaining cause) violates asymmetry: we can affect...Explanation and causation may differ: we can explain why a cause occurred by cit...Functional explanations are legitimate explanations in which a cause is explaine...
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    In physics, fundamental equations are time-symmetric; temporal asymmetry emerges...Teleological explanation (future goal explaining present action) is perfectly co...Temporal order is fundamental to causation; if effects could precede causes, cau...

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    claim
    Perspectives
    2 (1 for, 1 against)
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    1 edit