Open AccessCausation in memory: necessity, reliability and probability
Author(s) -
Nikola Andonovski
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
acta scientiarum. human and social sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1807-8656
pISSN - 1679-7361
DOI - 10.4025/actascihumansoc.v43i3.61493
Subject(s) - causation , argument (complex analysis) , probabilistic logic , psychology , computer science , cognitive psychology , epistemology , artificial intelligence , philosophy , chemistry , biochemistry
In this paper, I argue that causal theories of memory are typically committed to two independent, non-mutually entailing theses. The first thesis pertains to the necessity of appropriate causation in memory, specifying a condition token memories need to satisfy. The second pertains to the explanation of memory reliability in causal terms, and it concerns memory as a type of mental state. Post-causal theories of memory can reject only the first (weak post-causalism) or both (strong post-causalism) theses. Upon this backdrop, I examine Werning’s (2020) causalist argument from probabilistic correlation. I argue that it doesn’t establish the necessity of appropriate causation, and thus it can only target strong post-causalist theories. I end up by presenting some general considerations, suggesting that memories may not always be causally linked to past experiences.