Jonathan Schaffer's work on trumping preemption demonstrates that counterfactual theories cannot distinguish causal priority from mere counterfactual sufficiency without invoking irreducibly modal primitives.

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Causal priority(as the contrast to mere structural capacity in the statement): The idea that one thing comes before another thing in a cause-and-effect relationship—that one thing causes or determines the other. It's about what's the 'cause' and what's the 'effect.'
Counterfactual sufficiency(what counterfactual theories can do, but it's not the same as true causation): When something is enough to explain an outcome in a 'what if' scenario, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's the real cause in actual reality.
Counterfactual theories(as theories about how causation works): Philosophical theories that explain causation by asking 'what if?' questions—like 'if the cause hadn't happened, would the effect still occur?'
Jonathan Schaffer(as a philosopher referenced for their specific theory): A contemporary philosopher who defends priority monism—the idea that wholes are more basic and real than their parts.

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