The Time-Asymmetry of Causation

Causation, physics, and fit

Our ordinary causal concept seems to fit poorly with how our best physics describes the world. We think of causation as a time-asymmetric dependence relation between relatively local events. Yet fundamental physics describes the world in terms of dynamical laws that are, possible small exceptions aside, time symmetric and that relate global time slices. My goal in this paper is to show why we a...

Influence of Fear of Falling Severity Measured by Falls Efficacy Scale-International on Gait and Balance Performance After Chronic Stroke

Objectives: Fear of falling (FOF) is a common complication after stroke affecting gait and balance performance in individuals with a history of stroke. The current study aimed at determining the influence of the level of FOF on gait and balance performance after chronic stroke. Methods: A total of 76 persons with chronic stroke (including 41 women), who had no cognitive impairment and could wa...

A Relic of a Bygone Age? Causation, Time Symmetry and the Directionality Argument∗

Bertrand Russell famously argued that causation is not part of the fundamental physical description of the world, describing the notion of cause as “a relic of a bygone age” (Russell, 1913, p. 1). This paper assesses one of Russell’s arguments for this conclusion: the ‘Directionality Argument’, which holds that the time symmetry of fundamental physics is inconsistent with the time asymmetry of ...

A Ghazalian Predicament Epistemology and Metaphysics of Causation in the Works of Ghazali

The Mediating Effect of Information Asymmetry and Agency Costs on the Relationship Between CSR and Investment Efficiency

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the relationship between corporate social responsibility and investment efficiency with particular emphasis on the mediating role of agency cost and information asymmetry in a sample of 121 firms listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange during the time period from 2012 to 2017. The research hypotheses are tested using multivariate regression analysi...