Abstract
The concepts discussed in this article are those of a law of nature, general causation (sometimes known as ‘type-level’ or ‘population-level’ causation), and particular causation. The two main rival views of laws of natures—David Armstrong's ‘realist’ view and the Ramsey–Lewis view—are outlined. Probabilistic theories of general causation (as in ‘smoking causes cancer’) are described, together with a deflationary view according to which general causal claims are merely rather loose generalizations about particular causation. Some theories of particular causation (as in ‘the short circuit caused the fire’) are outlined, together with some standard criticisms. Finally there is a brief discussion of the relationship between causes and laws.
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