Skip to content
Carmelics
TopicsThinkersChangesContributorsLoading account…

    Carmelics

    A reasoning platform. Break down any belief into clear reasons, explore both sides, and weigh the evidence honestly.

    Navigate

    • Topics
    • Search
    • Recent Changes
    • Contribute
    • How It Works
    • Glossary
    • Thinkers
    • Contributors
    • About
    • Statistics
    • Terms
    • Privacy

    Database

    Statements
    —
    Perspectives
    —
    Topics
    —

    Press ? for keyboard shortcuts

    LoyalLoyalJusticeJustice
    Made withinDC&Austin
    Statements
    321,452
    Perspectives
    108,905
    Topics
    42
    Strict laws are not a necessary condition for singular ca... — Carmelics
    Home
    HistoryEditSee Inverse

    Part of a larger discussion

    Challenges→Causally interacting mental events must be token-identical with physical events.

    Strict laws are not a necessary condition for singular causal relations, as argued by Donald Davidson's own account of cause, which permits causation without covering laws when properly understood.

    ?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.Davidson's anomalous monism permits mental causation without psychophysical laws, showing causation operates beyond strict law-governed systems.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    • 2.Singular causal relata can be related by event-identity without subsumption under exceptionless covering laws, as Davidson himself endorsed.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    • 3.Physical causal relations in complex systems often lack formalized strict laws yet remain genuinely causal in scientific practice.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    Reasons Against

    1 perspective
    Reason against
    ?
    • 1.Davidson insisted singular causal relations must have physical descriptions subsumable under strict physical laws, contradicting the claim.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    • 2.Anomalous monism requires causal relata be physical events that instantiate strict laws at some level, not causation without laws entirely.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    • 3.The claim conflates Davidson's rejection of psychophysical laws with rejection of all covering laws, misrepresenting his actual position.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    Sign in or register to share your perspective on this statement.

    Next step

    Based on where you are in your exploration

    Strongest counterpoint
    Explore the most compelling reason on the other side.

    Key Terms

    Causation (or cause)(as the main topic of the statement)
    The relationship where one thing brings about or makes another thing happen—the 'why' behind events.
    Covering laws(Inferential/regularity approaches to causation)
    Laws according to which the cause is sufficient for its effect, enabling the effect to be inferred from the cause.
    Donald Davidson(as the originator of the theory referenced)
    A 20th-century American philosopher who studied how language works and how we understand each other through shared experiences.
    Singular causal relations(as used in philosophy of causation)
    A specific cause-and-effect relationship between particular events (like 'this match lighting caused this fire'), rather than general rules about how things work.
    necessary condition(Counterfactual analysis of causation; Mackie 1965, 1974)
    A condition C is necessary for event E if E would not have occurred in the absence of C

    Connections

    1 linked claim · 2 topics

    Causation1 linkedConsciousness & Mind1 linked
    Causally interacting mental events must be token-identical with physical events.

    Related

    Anomalous monism requires causal relata be physical events that instantiate stri...Causally interacting mental events must be token-identical with physical events.Davidson insisted singular causal relations must have physical descriptions subs...Davidson's anomalous monism permits mental causation without psychophysical laws...
    +3 moreShow less
    Physical causal relations in complex systems often lack formalized strict laws y...Singular causal relata can be related by event-identity without subsumption unde...

    Details

    Type
    claim
    Perspectives
    2 (1 for, 1 against)
    Edits
    1 edit
    The claim conflates Davidson's rejection of psychophysical laws with rejection o...