Abstract
Types of Causation in the Life Sciences
In the life sciences, identifying causal systems is important for many goals, including explanation, prediction, and efforts to change and control outcomes in the world. One challenge for serving these goals is that causal systems in these areas are extremely varied in ways that have been difficult to capture. We often lack clear, consistent labels for different types of causation and reference to all causal systems as “mechanisms” can make these differences harder to specify.
This talk provides a novel framework for capturing different types of causation and causal systems that are commonly found in the life sciences. It shows how these types have implications for the explanations we provide, the methods we use to study these systems, and for the unique functions and behaviors they produce.
About
Lauren Ross is Associate Professor in the Logic and Philosophy of Science Department at the University of California, Irvine.
Her research centers on explanation and causation in biology, neuroscience, and medicine. In particular she addresses: the nature of explanation in these sciences, different causal structures and explanation types, and the rationale that guides particular forms of causal reasoning in these domains.