Causal loops and the independence of causal facts

Proceedings of the Philosophy of Science Association 2001 (3):S89- (2001)
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Abstract

According to Hugh Mellor in Real Time II (1998, Ch. 12), assuming the logical independence of causal facts and the 'law of large numbers', causal loops are impossible because if they were possible they would produce inconsistent sets of frequencies. I clarify the argument, and argue that it would be preferable to abandon the relevant independence assumption in the case of causal loops

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10.1086/392900

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Phil Dowe
Australian National University

Citations of this work

Buclele cauzale în călătoria în timp.Nicolae Sfetcu - 2018 - Bucharest, Romania: MultiMedia Publishing.
Self-Fulfilling Prophecies.Stephanie Rennick - 2021 - Philosophies 6 (3):78.

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References found in this work

Physical Causation.Phil Dowe - 2000 - New York: Cambridge University Press.
Real Time.D. H. Mellor - 1981 - New York: Cambridge University Press.
Causal Asymmetries.Daniel M. Hausman - 1998 - New York: Cambridge University Press.
Time’s arrow and Archimedes’ point.Huw Price - 1996 - Philosophical and Phenomenological Research 59 (4):1093-1096.
Time's Arrow and Archimedes' Point: New Directions for the Physics of Time.Huw Price - 1998 - British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 49 (1):135-159.

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