week 8 Flashcards
(10 cards)
What is the primary distinction between causation and correlation?
Causation establishes a direct cause-effect relationship, whereas correlation only indicates an association.
What concern does Nick Barrowman highlight about causation?
Many assumed causal links are actually just correlations.
Why did Sir Ronald Fisher question the link between smoking and lung cancer?
He argued that other factors could be responsible for the observed correlation.
According to Nancy Cartwright, what is a limitation of econometric techniques like regression analysis?
They rely on assumptions that may not always hold true.
What does Nancy Cartwright mean by “capacities” in causation?
The ability of an object to cause an effect independent of observed correlations.
What is the core idea of correlationism, as defined by Meillassoux?
We can only know the relationship between thought and reality, not reality itself.
What is Meillassoux’s primary critique of correlationism?
It assumes that reality is completely determined by human thought.
What is Meillassoux’s “ancestral argument”?
Scientific knowledge of events before human existence challenges correlationism.
What is Graham Harman’s critique of Meillassoux’s speculative materialism?
It still places humans at the center of accessing reality.
How does Object-Oriented Ontology (OOO) differ from correlationism?
It argues that all objects—not just humans—have their own way of accessing reality.
