Causes of Effects and Effects of Causes

2014

Abstract

This paper summarizes methods that were found useful in estimating the probability that one event was a necessary cause of another, as interpreted by law makers. We show that the fusion of observational and experimental data can yield informative bounds which, under certain circumstances, meet legal criteria of causation. We further investigate the circumstances under which such bounds can emerge, and the philosophical dilemma associated with determining individual cases from statistical data.