East Los Angeles College Metaphysics discussion post

This Wednesday we’ll examine two popular theories of causation: regularity theory (Mackie) and counterfactual theory (Lewis). Both papers are powerful and influential, and they are fun to read.

1. Mackie’s paper is long, but his idea of INUS condition for causation is simple. Use your own words to explain this idea as clearly as you can. Do you have any objections to it as a definition of causation?
2. Lewis’s theory looks simple but it is theoretically complex, as it involves some difficult philosophical concepts like possible worlds and dependence relation. Again try your best to use your own words to recap Lewis’s theory, as clearly as you can. How do you think of this theory?