The Temporal Asymmetry of Causation
Fernandes, Alison. Forth. Elements in the Philosophy of Physics, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Causes always seem to come prior in time to their effects. What might explain this asymmetry? Causation’s temporal asymmetry isn’t straightforwardly due to a temporal asymmetry in the laws of nature—the laws are, by and large, temporally symmetric. Nor does the asymmetry appear due to an asymmetry in time itself. This Element examines recent empirical attempts to explain the temporal asymmetry of causation: statistical mechanical accounts, agency accounts and fork asymmetry accounts. None of these accounts is yet complete and a full explanation of the temporal asymmetry of causation will likely require contributions from all three programs.
Causes always seem to come prior in time to their effects. What might explain this asymmetry? Causation’s temporal asymmetry isn’t straightforwardly due to a temporal asymmetry in the laws of nature—the laws are, by and large, temporally symmetric. Nor does the asymmetry appear due to an asymmetry in time itself. This Element examines recent empirical attempts to explain the temporal asymmetry of causation: statistical mechanical accounts, agency accounts and fork asymmetry accounts. None of these accounts is yet complete and a full explanation of the temporal asymmetry of causation will likely require contributions from all three programs.