Marco J. Nathan (University of Denver)
What is the role of causation in causal explanation? Is the answer not obvious? Causation provides the raw material, the foundation for explanation. This response unveils a common presupposition, namely, that causes play a uniform role across theories of causation and explanation. This essay undermines this assumption. I distinguish two roles for causes. The first is the traditional philosophical tenet of causes as metaphysical posits. The second is more prominent across the sciences. Here, causes are often conceptualized as explanatory postulates which lack the former kind of ontological import. I conclude by emphasizing how this simple distinction provides a promising solution to longstanding philosophical puzzles.
