Reply to Ellery Eells

Abstract

Not surprisingly, I do not agree with Ellery Eells that in his example “C is causally neutral for E.” I do agree that C “doesn’t affect the chance of E’s occurring,” nevertheless I think that it is a true causal “law” in Eells’ constructed universe that C’s cause E’s. It is also a true law that C’s prevent E’s. His example resembles in this respect the version of Hesslow’s example in which the contraceptives both cause and prevent thrombosis although, all-told, they leave the probabilities unaffected.