Q&A: The Principle of Causality
The Principle of Causality
Question
Is it possible to prove the principle of causality in particular cases? Suppose I drop a pen 1,000 times and each time it falls in the same way—can’t we say that the probability of that happening is so low that it is more reasonable that there is a cause for why it fell that way? I’m not claiming that one can prove in general that everything results from a cause, but only in particular cases.
Note: in a world without causality, you could assign the pen equal probability to anything it might do—whether it stays in the air, teleports, falls diagonally upward, etc…
Answer
You can infer that, but the question is what you mean by a “cause” of what happened. Hume argues that this is only correlation and temporal succession, without causation. The very assumption that without causation everything is possible is not acceptable to him. There is correlation.
Discussion on Answer
It’s true that it can’t be proved. And it’s also true that even without proof, in my opinion that is the correct conclusion.
Wouldn’t Hume accept that next time it might not happen?
He simply defines causality in the form of correlation.
What’s wrong with that? Even without the component of causation.
But every time there is a pen, it will be such-and-such.
What will happen next time? We’re talking about the necessity that there is always a Creator.
It doesn’t matter what Hume claims. What’s true???