Related papers: Causal Stance
Statistical science (as opposed to mathematical statistics) involves far more than probability theory, for it requires realistic causal models of data generators - even for purely descriptive goals. Statistical decision theory requires more…
We propose a new definition of actual causes, using structural equations to model counterfactuals.We show that the definitions yield a plausible and elegant account ofcausation that handles well examples which have caused problems forother…
We are used to the fact that most if not all physical theories are based on the set of real numbers (or another associative division algebra). These all have a cardinality larger than that of the natural numbers, i.e. form a continuum. It…
Standard quantum mechanics undeniably violates the notion of separability that classical physics accustomed us to consider as valid. By relating the phenomenon of quantum nonseparability to the all-important concept of potentiality, we…
A physical theory of experiments carried out in a space-time region can accommodate a detector localized in another space-like separated region, in three, not necessarily exclusive, ways: 1) the detector formally collapses physical states…
Physicists are increasingly beginning to take seriously the possibility of laws outside the traditional time-evolution paradigm; yet our understanding of determinism is still predicated on a forwards time-evolution picture, making it…
Most work on physical reasoning, both in artificial intelligence and in cognitive science, has focused on closed-world reasoning, in which it is assumed that the problem specification specifies all relevant objects and substance, all their…
We discuss the physical meaning and the geometric interpretation of causality implementation in classical field theories. Causality is normally implemented through kinematical constraints on fields but we show that in a zero-distance limit…
In recent publications in physics and mathematics, concerns have been raised about the use of real numbers to describe quantities in physics, and in particular about the usual assumption that physical quantities are infinitely precise. In…
In recent years the search for a proper formal definition of actual causation -- i.e., the relation of cause-effect as it is instantiated in specific observations, rather than general causal relations -- has taken on impressive proportions.…
A general principle of `causal duality' for physical systems, lying at the base of representation theorems for both compound and evolving systems, is proved; formally it is encoded in a quantaloidal setting. Other particular examples of…
The problem of explaining the relationship between subjective experience and physical reality remains difficult and unresolved. In most explanations, consciousness is epiphenomenal, without causal power. The most notable exception is…
The causal structure of space-time offers a natural notion of an opposite or orthogonal in the logical sense, where the opposite of a set is formed by all points non time-like related with it. We show that for a general space-time the…
The evolution of the human mind through natural selection mandates that our conscious experiences are causally potent in order to leave a tangible impact upon the surrounding physical world. Any attempt to construct a functional theory of…
Requiring that the causal structure between different parties is well-defined imposes constraints on the correlations they can establish, which define so-called causal correlations. Some of these are known to have a "dynamical" causal order…
This paper is a concise summary of the main ideas presented in the companion paper `Quantum causal models via Quantum Bayesianism'[arXiv:1806.00895]. I present the proposed definition of a quantum causal model with minimal background and…
This paper presents a simple generalization of causal consistency suited to any object defined by a sequential specification. As causality is captured by a partial order on the set of operations issued by the processes on shared objects…
We propose a new definition of actual cause, using structural equations to model counterfactuals. We show that the definition yields a plausible and elegant account of causation that handles well examples which have caused problems for…
Causality among events is widely recognized as a most fundamental structure of spacetime, and causal sets have been proposed as discrete models of the latter in the context of quantum gravity theories, notably in the Causal Set Programme.…
This monograph introduces the basic concepts of the theory of causal fermion systems, a recent approach to the description of fundamental physics. The theory yields quantum mechanics, general relativity and quantum field theory as limiting…