tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7225373.post5631174909334513360..comments2024-02-29T03:34:23.190-05:00Comments on Who Were the Sea Peoples?: Statistics about X are not causal factors determining Xgcallahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10065877215969589482noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7225373.post-68105421678912946232015-01-22T06:57:03.431-05:002015-01-22T06:57:03.431-05:00I'm split on this: one side of me wholehearted...I'm split on this: one side of me wholeheartedly agrees, but the other thinks that this is nitpicking and that most people would say when pressed "Well, of course it's not the <i>laws</i> of gravity that cause planetary, but you know what I mean.". What do you say on that? Would those people be fooling themselves?Samson Corwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10148822362930969284noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7225373.post-88098792848139483732015-01-22T00:16:29.419-05:002015-01-22T00:16:29.419-05:00Yes, the "law of gravity" does not cause...Yes, the "law of gravity" does not cause anything: what causes gravitational attraction is the actual relationship between concrete bodies.<br /><br />Of course, stating the law is VERY useful: I am not criticizing that. But it is just a summary of what happens in many concrete interactions.gcallahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10065877215969589482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7225373.post-57963607809774210752015-01-21T22:41:31.899-05:002015-01-21T22:41:31.899-05:00In fact, I think Morgan hasn't gone far enough...<i>In fact, I think Morgan hasn't gone far enough here: the "laws" she cites are just our names for the regularities produced by concrete causal factors, and don't themselves cause anything.</i><br /><br />Do you think the same thing for things like the laws of physics or the laws of chemistry?Samson Corwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10148822362930969284noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7225373.post-71353425816088553552015-01-20T09:09:48.064-05:002015-01-20T09:09:48.064-05:00Common enough.Common enough.Ken Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12976919713907046171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7225373.post-34339598129697924132015-01-20T00:02:41.005-05:002015-01-20T00:02:41.005-05:00Yes, I think it comes from working with a model so...Yes, I think it comes from working with a model so long that you start to confuse the model with what it models.gcallahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10065877215969589482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7225373.post-49003545194278809722015-01-19T22:36:06.778-05:002015-01-19T22:36:06.778-05:00I agree completely. Statistical trends often refle...I agree completely. Statistical trends often reflect underlying causal conditions, which is why it's dangerous to bet against them. But as you say they are never causes themselves. That's just confused thinking. Ken Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08207803092348071005noreply@blogger.com