Probabilistic Causality: Reply to John Dupré

Abstract

John Dupré (1984) has recently criticized the theory of probabilistic causality developed by, among others, Good (1961–62), Suppes (1970), Cartwright (1979), and Skyrms (1980). He argues that there is a tension or incompatibility between one of its central requirements for the presence of a causal connection, on the one hand, and a feature of the theory pointed out by Elliott Sober and me (1983), on the other. He also argues that the requirement just alluded to should be given up. I defend the theory against Dupré‘s criticisms and conclude with comments on Dupré‘s appraisal of the bearing of his arguments on the nature of probabilistic causal laws.