Causation: Science, Statistics and Metaphysics

by David Papineau

Most philosophical work on causation is divorced from scientific practice, but in this book David Papineau develops a metaphysical theory designed to provide a principled grounding for the science of causal inference. The book first introduces non-specialists to the techniques of causal inference, and then shows how the resulting theory can account for all aspects of causation. While Papineau draws on a wide range of scientific and philosophical sources, everything is explained from first principles and will be accessible to readers from all backgrounds. The resulting theory marks a new departure in the philosophy of causation, and will be of interest not only to philosophers but also to anybody interested in the statistical techniques that are widely used throughout science to analyse causal structures.

300 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication October 31, 2026

About the author

David Papineau ( born 1947) is a British academic philosopher, born in Como, Italy.[1] He works as Professor of Philosophy of Science at King's College London and the City University of New York Graduate Center having previously taught for several years at Cambridge University where he was a fellow of Robinson College.

Papineau was born in Italy and grew up in Trinidad, England and South Africa.[citation needed] He received a BSc in mathematics from the University of Natal and a BA and PhD in philosophy from the University of Cambridge under the supervision of Ian Hacking.

He has worked in metaphysics, epistemology, and the philosophies of science, mind, and mathematics. His overall stance is naturalist and realist. He is one of the originators of the teleosemantic theory of mental representation, a solution to the problem of intentionality which derives the intentional content of our beliefs from their biological purpose. He is also a defender of the a posteriori physicalist solution to the mind-body problem

Papineau was elected President of the British Society for the Philosophy of Science for 1993–5, of the Mind Association for 2009–10 and of the Aristotelian Society for 2013-4

His latest book Knowing the Score (2017) is written for a general readership, and looks at a number of ways in which sporting issues cast light on long-standing philosophical problems.

Papineau lives in London with his wife, Rose Wild