A Comparative Study on Modern Regularity Theory and Its Causal Cases
In 2008 and 2013, Baumgartner successively proposed modern regularity theory of type causation and actual causation. In actual causation, he took Hitchcock’s (2001) causal model theory as a point of analogy. Drawing from Baumgartner’s existing discussions on the strengths of his approach, this paper compares the methods of Baumgartner and Hitchcock through providing an extended analysis of actual causation cases. I show that they define “active route” within the frameworks of regularity theory and counterfactual theory, respectively. From a technical perspective, modern regularity theory demonstrates stronger explanatory power in most cases by employing relatively straightforward tools. Philosophically, this approach offers a non-counterfactual analysis in type causation that rejects miracle.
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