Causation : Science, Statistics and Metaphysics

Most philosophical work on causation is divorced from scientific practice, but this book develops a metaphysical theory that provides a principled grounding for the science of causal inference. It will be of interest both to philosophers and to scientists who use statistical techniques to analyse causal structures.

Most philosophical work on causation is divorced from scientific practice, but in this book David Papineau develops a metaphysical theory designed to provide a principled grounding for the science of causal inference. The book first introduces non-specialists to the techniques of causal inference, and then shows how the resulting theory can account for all aspects of causation. While Papineau draws on a wide range of scientific and philosophical sources, everything is explained from first principles and will be accessible to readers from all backgrounds. The resulting theory marks a new departure in the philosophy of causation, and will be of interest not only to philosophers but also to anybody interested in the statistical techniques that are widely used throughout science to analyse causal structures.