ABSTRACT
Singular causal sentences are just those that express the occurrence of some token-level causation such as ‘the short circuit caused the fire’.
Singularism is a view about the nature of causation (see causation and laws). Like many philosophical terms, however, ‘singularism’ receives various definitions, each very similar but not quite the same. Here are some examples of the many views that ‘singularism’ might denote:
(a) Causation can take place without falling under a ‘covering law’ (i.e. some law of nature). That is, event c might cause e even though there is no law of nature saying that events like c cause – or are followed by – events like e).
