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Causation in the Social Sciences

Evidence, Inference, and Purpose

Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands

All univocal analyses of causation face counterexamples. An attractive response to this situation is to become a pluralist about causal relationships. "Causal pluralism" is itself, however, a pluralistic notion. In this article, I argue in favor of pluralism about concepts of cause in the social sciences. The article will show that evidence for, inference from, and the purpose of causal claims are very closely linked.

Key Words: causation • pluralism • evidence • methodology

This version was published on March 1, 2009

Philosophy of the Social Sciences, Vol. 39, No. 1, 20-40 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0048393108328150


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