A fundamental problem of causation (with no solution)

Abstract

Traditional views of causation are cause-effect views. Among other things, what is claimed is that when a causal report is true, a cause and an effect exist. Similarly with theories of causal beliefs, such as Gärdenfors's (1988) view that - by looking at the contraction with respect to the cause of the given epistemic state - we can apply the simple criterion that the occurrence of C raises the probability of the occurrence of E. The cause and the effect has been at centre in much theorising about causation and causal beliefs.