The Philosophy Department’s 2026 Spellman Lecture in the History of Science, Dr. Angela Potochnik from the University of Cincinnati. We will be hosting Dr. Potochnik on Friday October 2nd for her lecture at 3:00pm. There will be an hour lecture and an hour Q&A. Abstract: Complex systems approaches have proved useful in a wide range of scientific fields. Here I explore implications of these approaches for our very concept of causation. Philosophical accounts of causation—physical and counterfactual alike—assume causation can be conceptualized as isolated direct influence. I conjecture that this model of causation, what I term billiard-ball causation, is deeply misleading. Instead, consideration of complex systems methods and the uses and limitations of experimental practices and modeling techniques supports a different conception of causation, what we might think of as a causal mesh. Shifting our conception of causation from billiard balls to a causal mesh clarifies some features and limitations of scientific techniques and resolves some philosophical puzzles about causation, especially puzzles that have emerged for the popular interventionist conception of causation.
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