Causality and Causal Modelling in the Social Sciences: Measuring Variations

✍ Scribed by Federica Russo

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 2008
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 242
• 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

Front
......Page 1
Copyright
......Page 4
Acknowledgements
......Page 6
Contents
......Page 8
Preface
......Page 11
Introduction
......Page 13
1. What do social scientists do?
......Page 26
2. Probabilistic approaches
......Page 45
3. Methodology of causal modelling
......Page 63
4. Epistemology of causal modelling
......Page 101
5. Methodological consequences: objective Bayesianism
......Page 143
6. Methodological consequences: mechanisms and levels of causation
......Page 165
7. Supporting the rationale of variation
......Page 202
Concluding remarks
......Page 219
Bibliography
......Page 225
Index
......Page 238