Causation in science and the methods of scientific discovery / Rani Lill Anjum and Stephen Mumford.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 255-269) and index.

Part I. Science and philosophy -- Metascience and better science -- Do we need causation in science? -- Evidence of causation is not causation -- Part II. Perfect correlation -- What's in a correlation? -- Same cause, same effect -- Under ideal conditions -- One effect, one cause? -- Part III. Interference and prevention -- Have your cause and beat it -- From regularities to tendencies -- The modality of causation -- Part IV. Causal mechanisms -- Is the business of science to construct theories? -- Are more data better? -- The explanatory power of mechanisms -- Digging deeper to find the real causes? -- Part V. Linking causes to effects -- Making a difference -- Making nothing happen -- It all started with a big bang -- Does science need laws of nature? -- Part VI. Probability -- Uncertainty, certainty, and beyond -- What probabilistic causation should be -- Calculating conditional probability? -- Part VII. External validity -- Risky predictions -- What RCTs do not show -- Part VIII. Discovering causes and understanding them -- Getting involved -- Uncovering causal powers -- Learning from causal failure -- Plural methods, one causation -- Getting real about the ideals of science -- Conclusion: new norms of science.

Causation is the main foundation upon which the possibility of science rests. Without causation, there would be no scientific understanding, explanation, prediction, nor application in new technologies. How we discover causal connections is no easy matter, however. Causation often lies hidden from view and it is vital that we adopt the right methods for uncovering it. The choice of methods will inevitably reflect what one takes causation to be, making an accurate account of causation an even more pressing matter. This enquiry informs the correct norms for an empirical study of the world. Causation in Science and the Methods of Scientific Discovery, Rani Lill Anjum and Stephen Mumford propose nine new norms of scientific discovery. A number of existing methodological and philosophical orthodoxies are challenged as they argue that progress in science is being held back by an overly simplistic philosophy of causation.-- Source other than Library of Congress.