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Imaging Technology and the Philosophy of Causality

Darby, George, Williamson, Jon (2011) Imaging Technology and the Philosophy of Causality. Philosophy & Technology, 24 (2). pp. 115-136. ISSN 2210-5433. (doi:10.1007/s13347-010-0010-7) (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:27864)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided.
Official URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13347-010-0010-7

Abstract

Russo and Williamson (Int Stud Philos Sci 21(2):157–170, 2007) put forward the thesis that, at least in the health sciences, to establish the claim that C is a cause of E, one normally needs evidence of an underlying mechanism linking C and E as well as evidence that C makes a difference to E. This epistemological thesis poses a problem for most current analyses of causality which, in virtue of analysing causality in terms of just one of mechanisms or difference making, cannot account for the need for the other kind of evidence. Weber (Int Stud Philos Sci 23(2):277–295, 2009) has suggested to the contrary that Giere’s probabilistic analysis of causality survives this criticism. In this paper, we look in detail at the case of medical imaging technology, which, we argue, supports the thesis of Russo and Williamson, and we respond to Weber’s suggestion, arguing that Giere’s account does not survive the criticism.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1007/s13347-010-0010-7
Subjects: R Medicine > R Medicine (General)
B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > B Philosophy (General)
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Arts and Humanities > School of Culture and Languages
Depositing User: Jon Williamson
Date Deposited: 31 May 2011 13:17 UTC
Last Modified: 16 Nov 2021 10:06 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/27864 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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