Q&A: Two Causes for the Same Effect
Two Causes for the Same Effect
Question
Hello Rabbi,
Suppose that X alone can cause Y.
And likewise, Z alone can cause Y.
Is it possible that both X and Y would act in the same place and at the same time and produce only one Y? Why?
Thank you in advance
Answer
It seems you mean both X and Z. I don’t think it helps to think about this in an abstract schema. Take an example and discuss that. For instance, if striking a match produces fire, and concentrating the sun’s rays on paper with a magnifying glass also produces fire, what will happen if you do both? There will be one fire coming from the two sources. If Eve is pregnant and Leah is pregnant, then of course they will give birth to two sons.
If there’s a specific example you’re unsure about, post it here and we can discuss it. Otherwise, this is not a well-defined question.
Discussion on Answer
You’re asking whether a person can do something for two different reasons? Certainly yes. What’s the question? For example, a person who studies Torah because he is obligated and because he enjoys it. If each of the reasons alone would have been enough to cause him to study, then it is correct to say that he does it because of both reasons. If each one separately would not have been enough for him, then he does it for the reason that is composed of both of them.
Okay, the case is this:
The way I see it, there are two kinds of meaning:
Psychological meaning, in which a person chooses to turn a fact into something that obligates him. (For example: dedicating his life to hopping on one foot for ten minutes during every even-numbered hour.)
And philosophical meaning, in which a person chooses whether to fulfill something that obligates him in the first place. (For example: obeying the laws of morality.)
Can a person perform a certain act while fulfilling both the layer of psychological meaning and the layer of philosophical meaning, or would he be fulfilling only one of them?