States, Processes and Events, and the Ontology of Causal Relations
Antony Galton
In M. Donnelly and G. Guizzardi, Formal Ontology in Information Systems: Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference (FOIS 2012), IOS Press, 2012, pages 279-292.
ISBN 978-1-61499-083-3
Abstract
The subject of causality is large, and fraught with difficulties. In
this paper, we concentrate on two aspects which are of importance when
we seek to handle causality from an ontological point of view, The
first concerns the range of particulars between which causal and
causal-like relations may hold. In addition to events --- the
domain most typically chosen as the objects of causation --- we
consider the role played by processes and states, taking a particular
view of the nature of these entities. The second aspect concerns the
range of different causal and causal-like relations to be
considered. In addition to causation itself we consider such things as
initiation and termination, perpetuation, enablement and
prevention. We do not present a fully-fledged ontological theory of
causation, but lay down some basic ingredients that should be taken
into account in the construction of such a theory.
Full Text (Preprint)
Slides from the conference presentation
Antony Galton
Last modified: Mon May 12 09:43:28 BST 2014