Holger Andreas (UBC Okanagan) will be giving his talk on Friday November 13, 2015 in BUCH A202, at 3pm.
TITLE:
Analyzing Causation by the Ramsey Test
ABSTRACT:
This is an attempt at an epistemic approach to causation, which is in the tradition of Hume and Kant. Our starting point is the Ramsey Test semantics of conditionals: a conditional A > B is believed to be true if and only if B is believed in the course of hypothetically assuming A. In the wake of work by Hans Rott, we shall develop a strengthened variant of the Ramsey Test: A >> B if and only if, after suspending any judgement as to whether A and B, B is believed in the course of hypothetically assuming A. Upon this strong conditional implication, we shall devise an analysis of (non-backward) causation between time-asymmetric events. This analysis explicitly addresses problems of overdetermination and pre-emption, and develops concise solutions to these problems.
This event is open to the public, faculty, staff and students.