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Causal Loops and the Independence of Causal Facts
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 April 2022
Abstract
According to Hugh Mellor in Real Time II (1998, Ch. 12), assuming the logical independence of causal facts and the ‘law of large numbers’, causal loops are impossible because if they were possible they would produce inconsistent sets of frequencies. I clarify the argument, and argue that it would be preferable to abandon the relevant independence assumption in the case of causal loops.
- Type
- Metaphysics and Methodology of Science
- Information
- Copyright
- Copyright © Philosophy of Science Association 2001
Footnotes
I thank Jossi Berkovitz for first drawing my attention to this problem, in particular to the result proved in Appendix 2. His work on this point has priority over mine (see Berkovitz 2001). This work was supported by the Australian Research Council.
References
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