Why is understanding causation so important in philosophy and the sciences? Should causation be defined in terms of probability? Whilst causation plays a major role in theories and concepts of medicine, little attempt has been made to connect causation and probability with medicine itself. Causality, Probability, and Medicine is one of the first books to apply philosophical reasoning about causality to important topics and debates in medicine. Donald Gillies provides a thorough introduction to and assessment of competing theories of causality in philosophy, including action-related theories, causality and mechanisms, and causality and probability. Throughout the book he applies them to important discoveries and theories within medicine, such as germ theory; tuberculosis and cholera; smoking and heart disease; the first ever randomized controlled trial designed to test the treatment of tuberculosis; the growing area of philosophy of evidence-based medicine; and philosophy of epidemiology. This book will be of great interest to students and researchers in philosophy of science and philosophy of medicine, as well as those working in medicine, nursing and related health disciplines where a working knowledge of causality and probability is required.
Author(s): Donald A. Gillies
Publisher: Routledge
Year: 2018
Language: English
Pages: 312
Tags: Causality, Probability, Medicine
CONTENTS......Page 7
PREFACE......Page 15
INTRODUCTION......Page 17
Part I......Page 1
1 Action related theory of causality......Page 33
2 General discussion of AIM theories......Page 46
3 Koch on bacterial disease......Page 61
4 MECHANISTIC THEORIES OFCAUSALITY AND CAUSALTHEORIES OF MECHANISM......Page 87
5 TYPES OF EVIDENCE (I) EVIDENCE OF MECHANISM......Page 106
6 TYPES OF EVIDENCE (II) STATISTICAL EVIDENCE IN HUMAN POPULATIONS......Page 118
7 COMBINING STATISTICAL AND MECHANISM EVIDENCE......Page 144
8 THE RUSSO-WILLIAMSON THESIS......Page 149
9 THE RUSSO-WHILLIAMSON THESIS （II）......Page 166
10 OBJECTIONS TO THE RUSSO-WILLIAMSON THESIS......Page 179
PART III CAUSALITY AND PROBABILITY......Page 209
12 INDETERMINISTICAUSALITY......Page 211
13 CAUSAL NETWORKS......Page 220
14 HOW SHOULD PROBABILITIES BE INTERPRETED......Page 241
15 PEARL'S ALTERNATIVE APPROACH......Page 252
16 EXTENSIONO F THE ACTION RELATED THEORY......Page 268
Appendix 1......Page 275
Appendix_2_Mathematical_terminology......Page 278
Glossary_of_medical_terms......Page 280
References......Page 295
Index......Page 306
