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The Conserved Quantity Theory of Causation and Closed Systems

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2022

Sungho Choi
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Abstract

Advocates of the conserved quantity (CQ) theory of causation have their own peculiar problem with conservation laws. Since they analyze causal process and interaction in terms of conserved quantities that are in turn defined as physical quantities governed by conservation laws, they must formulate conservation laws in a way that does not invoke causation, or else circularity threatens. In this paper I will propose an adequate formulation of a conservation law that serves CQ theorists’ purpose.

Type
Research Article
Information
Philosophy of Science , Volume 70 , Issue 3 , July 2003 , pp. 510 - 530
Copyright
Copyright © The Philosophy of Science Association

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Footnotes

‡

My thanks to Jaeyoung Ghim and Inrae Cho for their help with earlier versions of this article. I owe especial debts to Inkyo Chung and two anonymous referees for their detailed and insightful comments. This work was supported by Korea Research Foundation Grant (KRF-2002-041-A00094).

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