RE: A causes B *means* A always comes before B

From: gts (gts_2000@yahoo.com)
Date: Tue Nov 19 2002 - 10:27:00 MST


Ross A. Finlayson wrote:

> That is obviously not true. If A-> B and C-> B, then either C or A...

We're not discussing truth tables here. My statement was about
causality. I believe it is true for all conventional purposes, though it
does seem to break down at the quantum level, as sceir pointed out.

After hearing from Lee in email, I think that he actually opened this
thread to discuss something completely different. He's curious about the
fact that A can always come before B but not be the cause of B. In those
terms A can be a *necessary condition* for B, such that A always occurs
before B but yet does not cause B.

For example one cannot see the stars unless one first has eyes to see,
but having eyes to see does not cause one to see the stars. Eyesight is
a necessary condition but not a cause.

-gts



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