Causes {causation} are necessary or sufficient.
types
Four cause types are material cause, formal cause, efficient cause, and final cause.
space and time
Cause is always necessary to effect, precedes effect, and is spatially and temporally adjacent to effect. Events at only one instant cannot define cause or effect.
explanation
Only current thought about past events reveals causal relations. Explanation first describes object structures and movements. Then it explains how object structures and movements caused or constrained current existence, behavior, or structure.
will
Will or intent can be indirect cause. However, direct causes are physical forces.
effects
Interactions cause effects. Effects typically have several causes.
Contributory causes {causal, causation} cause events. Similar causes in similar situations give similar results.
Generalization and causal reasoning can combine {causal generalization}. Antecedent is sufficient for consequent. Consequent is necessary for antecedent.
Events have causes from previous events, which had causes from previous events, ad infinitum {infinite regress}|. To stop infinite regress, beginning cause must be different from later causes.
Perhaps, causes must have more energy, matter, motion, or purpose than effects. Perhaps, because things move, something unmoved by anything else must start motion. If everything must have a cause, infinite regression leads to a starting or original cause {Prime Mover} {First Cause, epistemology}. Prime Mover must be in physical world but have no cause. Prime Mover must have more energy than later causes and events. However, motion does not have to start with motion, only with force. More than one prime mover can be possible.
If phenomena share only one event, event is a cause or effect {method of agreement} {agreement method}. If people know all possible causes, probable cause is the cause that always precedes effect. However, agreement method must test all cases.
If one event is in phenomenon but is not in not-phenomenon, then event is phenomenon cause, or is necessary to cause or effect {method of difference} {difference method}. If people know all possible causes, probable cause is cause whose removal causes not-phenomenon. However, because physical world is complex, one difference is hard to establish.
Agreement and difference methods can combine {joint method of agreement and difference} {agreement and difference method}. However, the joint method does not account for probabilities or strengths. Things can have more than one cause or have not yet known causes.
If first phenomenon varies in one way, and second phenomenon varies in the same or opposite way, first phenomenon is cause or effect, or relates to cause, of second phenomenon {concomitant variation method} {method of concomitant variation}. However, unobserved causes and effects are possible.
Removing or accounting for phenomena parts caused by known antecedent circumstances makes remaining phenomena caused by remaining circumstances {method of residues} {residues method} {subduction, causation}. However, known laws or experiments must confirm residues. Finding causes is hard, because physical world is complex.
Events correlated in space and time have shared causes that happen before events {common cause principle} {principle of the common cause}.
Immediately preceding events and motions {efficient cause}| directly cause effects.
Possibilities, goals, or purposes {final cause}| can begin effect events.
Forms, essences, or ideas {formal cause}| can shape effect events.
Matter physical forces {material cause}| directly cause effects.
Effects can require prior causes {necessary cause}|. If necessary cause is not present, effect is not present.
Causes {sufficient cause}| can cause effects all by themselves. If sufficient cause is present, effect is present.
Outline of Knowledge Database Home Page
Description of Outline of Knowledge Database
Date Modified: 2022.0225