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Experimental Indistinguishability of Causal Structures

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2022

Frederick Eberhardt
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Abstract

Using a variety of different results from the literature, I show how causal discovery with experiments is limited unless substantive assumptions about the underlying causal structure are made. These results undermine the view that experiments, such as randomized controlled trials, can independently provide a gold standard for causal discovery. Moreover, I present a concrete example in which causal underdetermination persists despite exhaustive experimentation and argue that such cases undermine the appeal of an interventionist account of causation as its dependence on other assumptions is not spelled out.

Type
General Philosophy of Science
Information
Philosophy of Science , Volume 80 , Issue 5 , December 2013 , pp. 684 - 696
Copyright
Copyright © The Philosophy of Science Association

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References

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Supplementary material: PDF

Eberhardt supplementary material

Eberhardt supplementary material

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Supplementary material: PDF

Eberhardt supplementary material

Eberhardt supplementary material

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