On function, cause, and being Jerry Hogan's student.

Jerry Hogan has forcefully maintained that cause and function are distinct questions, and that attempts to integrate them are conceptually muddled. I dissent from his view, maintaining that causal analysis is conducted in the shadow of premises about function, and that bringing functional ideas out of the shadows facilitates the generation of fruitful causal hypotheses. This is not to suggest, however, that cause-function muddles are non-existent; I agree with Hogan that they are both common and mischievous. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: In Honor of Jerry Hogan.