Causation by Concentration
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8396541 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Marco J Nathan (0000-0002-3675-7465, Columbia University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2014 |
| Volume | 65 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 191-212 |
| Publication date | 2014-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0007-0882 • E-ISSN: 1464-3537 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1093/bjps/axr056 |
| OpenAlex | W2114783174 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 24 |
This essay is concerned with concentrations of entities, which play an important—albeit often overlooked—role in scientific explanation. First, I discuss an example from molecular biology to show that concentrations can play an irreducible causal role. Second, I provide a preliminary philosophical analysis of this causal role, suggesting some implications for extant theories of causation. I conclude by introducing the concept of causation by concentration, a form of statistical causation whose widespread presence throughout the sciences has been unduly neglected and which deserves to be studied in more depth. 1 Introduction 2 Solving Lillie's Paradox: Lysogenic Induction in Phage λ 3 Repressor Concentration and the Tuning of the Switch 4 Concentration and Causality 5 Preemption in Concentrations: Analysis and Implications 6 Causation by Concentration: General Definition, Refinements, and Further Applications
Biology · Causation · Epistemology · Evolutionary biology · Extant taxon · Philosophy · Philosophy and History of Science
The Changing Role of the Embryo in Evolutionary Thought
Hunting Causes and Using Them
Physical Causation
Making Things Happen
Probabilistic Causality
Causality and Explanation
Causation as Influence
Causation
Causation in biology
Causes That Make a Difference
Program explanation
Explanation
Thinking about Mechanisms
Rethinking Mechanistic Explanation
An “At-At” Theory of Causal Influence
Scientific Explanation and the Causal Structure of the World
A Tale of Two Effects
Functional Explanation and Virtual Selection
A Causal Calculus (I)
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0.09 |
| Citation span | 2015 - 2015 (1) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |