The document discusses causation, emphasizing both object and event causation and their transitive nature, illustrated with examples. It presents Aquinas' arguments against loops in causation and the impossibility of self-causation, concluding that there must be an uncaused first cause, which Aquinas identifies as God. Ultimately, it argues that in the universe's causal history, no event or object can cause itself.

1. Causation
and Aquinas

2. Object Causation
You could correctly say that
the ball caused the broken
window. Both the ball and the
broken window are objects.

3. Event Causation
You could also say that the
throwing of the ball (an event)
caused the breaking of the
window (another event).

4. It’s awkward but correct to say that Clara Barton caused the American Red Cross.

5. The failure of the South Fork Dam caused the Johnstown Flood.

6. Causation is Transitive
Whether we talk about object or event causation,
causation is transitive. That is, if A is a cause of B and B
is a cause of C, then A must be a cause of C.
In general, a relationship is transitive when the
following argument is valid:
A [is related to] B.
B [is related to] C.
So, A [is related to] C.
For example, the relationship ‘is taller than’ is transitive.
If Anne is taller than Barb and Barb is taller than Carla
then Ann must be taller than Carla. ‘Is the mother of’ is
not a transitive relationship.

7. Multiple causes and effects
The arrow means ‘is a cause of’ so
even if there are multiple causes of
an object or event we can say of one
of them that it is a cause.

8. The no-loops
argument
Aquinas argues that in the
whole complex causal history of
the world, there are no loops.
1. Nothing can cause itself.
2. Causation is transitive.
3. So, there are no loops.
To see it is valid, try RAA.
Pretend there is a loop, then
by transitivity A would be a
cause of itself, but that’s
inconsistent with premise one!

9. The nothing can cause
itself argument
1. Causes precede their effects.
2. Nothing can precede itself.
3. So, nothing can cause itself.
The nothing can cause itself
Argument

10. What this all means
all together is that
(according to
Aquinas, at least) in
the whole complex
causal history of the
world, no matter how
closely you look,
there won’t be any
loops.

11. The Uncaused First Cause
So when Aquinas argues for the existence of God, it will not be a god
that caused itself (because nothing can cause itself).