Causal closure

Causal closure is a metaphysical theory about the nature of causation in the physical realm with significant ramifications in the study of the mind.

Definition

Causal closure has two main formulations - a weak and a strong form. The weak form states: "No physical event has a cause outside the physical domain." - Jaegwon Kim. [ [http://www.iscid.org/encyclopedia/Physical_Causal_Closure_Thesis Physical Causal Closure Thesis ] ] Whilst the stronger version of the theory holds that all physical effects can be ultimately reduced to physical causes, thus allowing for mental causation so long as it is in turn reducible to a physical cause.

Importance

Causal closure is especially important when considering dualist theories of mind as the problem of causation is a significant problem for those who consider a distinction either between mental and physical substances or between mental and physical properties.

References