Consider a move in a chess game that has a definite consequence (eg the
capture of an
opposing piece). The two events are not causally related, they are only
connected
by the rules of the game. I want "cause" to mean more than just a
connection by rules (even nature's rules) - but what exactly is that "more"?
I think that Einstein was referring to just such considerations when he
wrote:
“What really interests me is whether God had any choice in the creation of
the world.”
In other words, is a given law of nature just a rule arbitrarily chosen by
the creation process
(chosen perhaps by some intelligent creator or by some natural selection
process, or . . .)?
If so, then such laws are just like the rules of chess, and fall short of my
requirement for an inherent cause/effect relation.
The alternative is that some laws of nature are perhaps mandated by the
ontological/metaphysical requirements of BEING itself - so that even God had
to comply?
This would qualify as an inherent cause/effect relation.