In terms of the thought of an energetic causal route, Hitchcock talks of genuine otherwise token causation from the following the conditions:
(10) If c and e are distinct actual events and X and Z are binary variables whose values represent the occurrence and non-occurrence of these events, then c is a cause of e if and only if there is an active causal route from X to Z in an appropriate causal model
Lewis resorts in order to quasi-dependence since smashing of your bottles (e) does not counterfactually depend on Suzys place (c), as a consequence of what can provides happened had she perhaps not thrown (viz, Billys stone would have shattered the brand new bottles instead)
As previously mentioned, (10) doesnt deal with cases of symmetrical overdetermination as the when Suzy and you can Billy each other place the stones separately, for every throw will do towards package to-break, and you may one another rocks strike the container so neither put preempts the new almost every other, while the neither put is found on an energetic channel because laid out inside the (9). To handle such as cases, Hitchcock weakens (10) by replacement new ‘energetic route from inside the (10) on the thought of an excellent weakly productive route (2001: 290). Continue reading “So it definition generalises the fresh new relaxed suggestion sketched regarding Suzy and you may Billy”