Introduction

It is not very controversial to say that causation is one of the most funda-

mental conceptual tools we have for organizing our apprehension of the

external world and ourselves. But philosophers’ disagreement about the

correct interpretation of causation is as vast as their accord as to its

importance. The history of attempts to elucidate the nature of this concept

and to situate it with respect to other fundamental concepts is almost as

long as the history of philosophy.