Why Your Causal Intuitions are Corrupt: Intermediate and Enabling Variables

Abstract When evaluating theories of causation, intuitions should not play a decisive role, even in flawlessly-designed thought experiments. Indeed, no coherent theory causation can respect the typical person’s redundancy (pre-emption) experiments, without disrespecting their threat-and-saviour (switching/short-circuit) I provide deductively sound argument for these claims. Amazingly, this assumes absolutely nothing about nature causation. also second argument, whose conclusion is stronger: causal are thoroughly unreliable. This proceeds by raising neglected question: what respects information intermediate and enabling variables relevant to reliable judgment?