[FRIAM] PM-2017-MethodologicalBehaviorismCausalChainsandCausalForks(1).pdf

[thompnickson2 at gmail.com]

Thanks, Glen, 

You consistently give me thoughts to chew on.  Your introduction of "point of view' into the conversation is a "New Thought" for me, and I am grateful for it.  In particular, it makes apt the metaphor of screening off.  So, let it be the case that a third variable, C, also affects B.  In that case, one could not make predictions about  B to A without knowing about C.  Thus, C screens off A from B.  I think I get it.  

Nick   

Nick Thompson
ThompNickSon2 at gmail.com
https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/

-----Original Message-----
From: Friam <friam-bounces at redfish.com> On Behalf Of u?l? ???
Sent: Wednesday, February 10, 2021 12:00 PM
To: friam at redfish.com
Subject: Re: [FRIAM] PM-2017-MethodologicalBehaviorismCausalChainsandCausalForks(1).pdf

I think I have useful things to say about it. But who knows for sure?

I regard this sort of screen as if *from* the present looking into the past. From the perspective of the 3rd node, can you *see* the 1st node? Or can you only see the 2nd node? (I think I alluded to this in my post about Barbour's "Janus Point".)

As to the meshed gears, as usual, it's useful to crack cause into multiple meanings like agency vs material, formal, and final. But you can also adopt a perspective. From the 2nd gear's perspective, the 1st gear is causing it to move. From the 1st gear's perspective, you are causing it to move. And from a multi-gear perspective, either you *or* the designer is causing the 2nd gear to move. Scoping, scoping, scoping, scoping.


On 2/10/21 9:06 AM, thompnickson2 at gmail.com wrote:
> Hi, All,
> 
>  
> 
> If any of you had any spare brain time, I am interested in  the attached VERY SHORT <https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:a6e9c10b-06dc-4ea1-8ffa-d450df62489a> article:
> 
>  
> 
> I am struggling here with the idea of "screening off".  Does it mean more or less than the following:  Granted that, If I had ham, and I had eggs, I would have ham and eggs, having eggs screens off having ham from having ham and eggs?   Screening off seems a very odd metaphor.  Is it a term of art in logic?
> 
>  
> 
> Also, a general problem I have with causality:  My understanding of causality is that event A can cause event B  if and only if A is independently known from B (an event cannot cause itself) AND occurs prior to B  Now imagine  two perfectly meshed gears, such that motion in one is instantly conveyed to the other.  I turn gear A and gear B turns.  Has the motion in A /caused/ the turning of B or has my turning of A caused the motion of B?  With the gears, this may just seem like a fussy “in the limit” sort of question, but there seem to be other phenomena where it’s worth asking.  Does the discharge of potential along the ionized (?) path CAUSE the lightning?
> 
>  
> 
> I realize that the rest of you have spouses, dogs, cats, hobbies, and day jobs, but any off hand thoughts you have on these matters would be greatly appreciated.

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