Re: [Phys-l] The "why" questions

["Bob Sciamanda" <treborsci@verizon.net>]

As often happens, you erect and attack a straw man.
The cause/effect concept is indeed verrry important - noone is saying 
otherwise.
But the concept is conceptual and philosophical.
Physics can provide mathematical models to motivate these philosophical 
concepts, but physics never deals explicitly and directly with these ideas.



Bob Sciamanda
Physics, Edinboro Univ of PA (Em)
treborsci@verizon.net
http://mysite.verizon.net/res12merh/
-----Original Message----- 
From: John Denker
Sent: Monday, November 29, 2010 4:46 PM
To: Forum for Physics Educators
Subject: Re: [Phys-l] The "why" questions

On 11/29/2010 10:07 AM, Bob Sciamanda wrote:

> The assignment of "cause" and "effect" is a philosophical, and not a
> physics, concept.

I disagree.

> It is neither operationally definable nor conclusively
> testable.

I disagree.

Questions of cause-and-effect are of the utmost practical importance.
The Mayo Clinic / Love Canal parable should suffice to prove the point.
This is discussed at the very beginning of
 http://www.av8n.com/physics/causation.htm

That's why this discussion is worth having.  It is a tremendous disservice
to the students -- and to the society as a whole -- to teach misconceptions
about cause-and-effect.

How can we even begin to have a fact-based discussion of whether humans
are causing climate change if people have no clue what "causing" means?

Multi-trillion-dollar decisions hinge on our understanding of what is
causal and what is not causal.   Life-and-death decisions hinge on our
understanding of what is causal and what is not causal.

This is not to be trifled with.
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