Causation: substance or event?

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In summary, the conversation discusses the distinction between "substance causation" and "event causation" in regard to a car hitting a pedestrian. It questions whether the car or the transfer of kinetic energy is the cause of the person's death. However, discussing philosophy is not allowed and the thread was closed.
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sayetsu
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TL;DR Summary
If a car runs into a pedestrian, does the car kill them, or the kinetic energy?
A philosopher makes a distinction between "substance causation" and "event causation." If a speeding car (substance) hits a pedestrian, does the collision with the car (touching it while it's moving fast) kill the person, or does the transfer of kinetic energy or something - what, exactly, causes them to die, and how?
 
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sayetsu said:
TL;DR Summary: If a car runs into a pedestrian, does the car kill them, or the kinetic energy?

A philosopher makes a distinction between "substance causation" and "event causation." If a speeding car (substance) hits a pedestrian, does the collision with the car (touching it while it's moving fast) kill the person, or does the transfer of kinetic energy or something - what, exactly, causes them to die, and how?
Assuming the person does die - which is by no means certain - you'd be better off asking a forensic pathologist than a philosopher to ascertain the cause of death.
 
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I would say that the transfer of energy and momentum to some parts of the pedestrian's body and not others leads to stresses inside the body which are too great for the elasticity of some part(s) of the body and they break. That breakage may be fatal.

I don't think trying to fit this into what sounds like a knock-off of Aristotle's four causes is a good idea, not least because discussing philosophy is against forum rules.
 
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  • #4
sayetsu said:
TL;DR Summary: If a car runs into a pedestrian, does the car kill them, or the kinetic energy?

A philosopher makes a distinction between "substance causation" and "event causation." If a speeding car (substance) hits a pedestrian, does the collision with the car (touching it while it's moving fast) kill the person, or does the transfer of kinetic energy or something - what, exactly, causes them to die, and how?

As a poor layman of philosophy, I should appreciate it if you could provide simple definition or show weblinks to get idea of event causation and substance causation to understand your discussion better. I found another word agent causation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_causation. Is it also involved in ?
 
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Philosophy is out of bounds here. Thread closed.
 
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FAQ: Causation: substance or event?

What is causation?

Causation is the relationship between an event (cause) and a second event (effect), where the second event is a direct result of the first event.

What is the difference between substance causation and event causation?

Substance causation refers to the idea that a substance or object is the cause of an event, while event causation focuses on the specific actions or events that lead to a certain outcome.

How do scientists determine causation?

Scientists determine causation through the use of experiments and controlled studies, where they manipulate the independent variable and observe the effects on the dependent variable. They also consider other factors that may influence the outcome.

Can correlation imply causation?

No, correlation does not necessarily imply causation. Just because two events or variables are related does not mean that one caused the other. Other factors may be at play, and further research is needed to establish a causal relationship.

What are some limitations of studying causation?

One limitation is that it is often difficult to establish a clear cause and effect relationship due to the complexity of natural systems. Additionally, ethical considerations may prevent certain experiments from being conducted to establish causation. Lastly, causation can be difficult to prove conclusively and may require multiple studies to confirm.

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