Causality and Causal Modelling in the Social Sciences: Measuring Variations

✍ Scribed by Federica Russo

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 2008
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 241
• Series: Methodos Series
• Edition: 1
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

This investigation into causal modelling presents the rationale of causality, i.e. the notion that guides causal reasoning in causal modelling. It is argued that causal models are regimented by a rationale of variation, nor of regularity neither invariance, thus breaking down the dominant Human paradigm. The notion of variation is shown to be embedded in the scheme of reasoning behind various causal models. It is also shown to be latent – yet fundamental – in many philosophical accounts. Moreover, it has significant consequences for methodological issues: the warranty of the causal interpretation of causal models, the levels of causation, the characterisation of mechanisms, and the interpretation of probability.

This book offers a novel philosophical and methodological approach to causal reasoning in causal modelling and provides the reader with the tools to be up to date about various issues causality rises in social science.

✦ Table of Contents

Cover......Page 1
Acknowledgements
......Page 5
Contents
......Page 7
Team rebOOk
......Page 10
Introduction
......Page 12
1. What Do Social Scientists Do?......Page 25
2. Probabilistic Approaches
......Page 44
3. Methodology of Causal Modelling
......Page 62
4. Epistemology of Causal Modelling
......Page 100
5. Methodological Consequences: Objective Bayesianism
......Page 142
6. Methodological Consequences: Mechanisms and Levels of Causation
......Page 164
7. Supporting the Rationale of Variation
......Page 201
Concluding Remarks
......Page 218
Bibliography
......Page 224
Index
......Page 237