Concepts of Causation in the Philosophy of Disease

Abstract

In this chapter I outline three conceptual analyses of causation in contemporary analytic philosophy, considering their actual and potential applications in both evidence-based practice and medical research. As with the concept of disease, I conclude that there is not one analysis best suited to medicine. The notion of ‘what causation is’ is context dependent, insofar as the pathologist, the clinician, and the epidemiologist must (and do) adopt different conceptions of causation.