Causal Decision Theory and the agent's perspective

Arif Ahmed (University of Cambridge)

Many philosophers, including Berkeley and Dummett but also more recent advocates of 'Causal Decision Theory', think that whilst 'mere' observation never reveals a causal relation distinct from mere co-variation, practical engagement forces us to concern ourselves with it. That claim is false. Worse, the distinction that it presupposes between an 'agent's perspective' and an 'observer's perspective' is practically *counter*productive because it implies dynamic inconsistency.