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arXiv · 1301.2275

Causes and Explanations: A Structural-Model Approach --- Part 1: Causes

Joseph Y. Halpern·Judea Pearl
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Abstract

We propose a new definition of actual causes, using structural equations to model counterfactuals.We show that the definitions yield a plausible and elegant account ofcausation that handles well examples which have caused problems forother definitions and resolves major difficulties in the traditionalaccount. In a companion paper, we show how the definition of causality can beused to give an elegant definition of (causal) explanation.

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Joseph Y. Halpern, Judea Pearl. 2013-01-10. Causes and Explanations: A Structural-Model Approach --- Part 1: Causes. https://arxiv.org/abs/1301.2275

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