an online book by David Gurteen
Causality is an influence by which one event, process, state, or object (a cause) contributes to the production of another event, process, state, or object (an effect) where the cause is at least partly responsible for the effect, and the effect is at least partly dependent on the cause. The cause of something may also be described as the reason for the event or process.
In general, a process can have multiple causes, which are also said to be causal factors for it, and all lie in its past. An effect can in turn be a cause of, or causal factor for, many other effects, which all lie in its future. Some writers have held that causality is metaphysically prior to notions of time and space. Causality is an abstraction that indicates how the world progresses. As such it is a basic concept; it is more apt to be an explanation of other concepts of progression than something to be explained by other more fundamental concepts. The concept is like those of agency and efficacy. For this reason, a leap of intuition may be needed to grasp it. Accordingly, causality is implicit in the structure of ordinary language, as well as explicit in the language of scientific causal notation.
In English studies of Aristotelian philosophy, the word "cause" is used as a specialized technical term, the translation of Aristotle's term αἰτία, by which Aristotle meant "explanation" or "answer to a 'why' question". Aristotle categorized the four types of answers as material, formal, efficient, and final "causes". In this case, the "cause" is the explanans for the explanandum, and failure to recognize that different kinds of "cause" are being considered can lead to futile debate. Of Aristotle's four explanatory modes, the one nearest to the concerns of the present article is the "efficient" one.
David Hume, as part of his opposition to rationalism, argued that pure reason alone cannot prove the reality of efficient causality; instead, he appealed to custom and mental habit, observing that all human knowledge derives solely from experience.
The topic of causality remains a staple in contemporary philosophy.
Credit: Wikipedia - cause_and_effectOn accountability | Peter Block People: Peter BlockPeter Block Author, Consultant and SpeakerPosts: Peter BlockConnection Before Content Without relatedness, no work can occur Don’t Give Advice Especially when it is soughtI. Take Responsibility We need to take responsibility for the changes we wish to see in the worldIntroduction: Small Group Conversations Small groups are an … Continue reading Peter Block on Accountability Peter Block
The power to create a future requires us to choose to be accountable. To be accountable, among other things, means you act as an owner and part creator of whatever it is that you wish to improve. In the absence of this, you are in the position of effect, not cause … a powerless stance. To be accountable is to care for the well being of the whole … | Peter Block Continue reading Choose to Be Accountable Peter Block
Constraints in Complex Systems Complex Adaptive Systems Vs. Complex Responsive Processes ** Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close The Cynefin framework helps you make better decisions by helping you understand your situation/context and use an appropriate decision-making … Continue reading The Cynefin Framework A conceptual framework to help make decisions
Introduction: Principles of Conversational Leadership II. Embrace Complexity Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close Take responsibility: In life, we can choose to take responsibility in several ways. Most critically, we can choose to take ownership of the … Continue reading I. Take Responsibility We need to take responsibility for the changes we wish to see in the world
Our World Is Hyperconnected We Humans Are Complex Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close In our hyperconnected world, complexity has surged, leading to heightened volatility, uncertainty, and ambiguity. This increased complexity poses significant challenges in predicting outcomes, … Continue reading Our World Is Complex It is a VUCA world
Changing People ** Be Open and Transparent ** Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close We are familiar with the concept of cause and effect, and in most situations, it is apparent which is the cause and which … Continue reading Reversing Cause and Effect The conversation creates the speakers
