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Making sense of downward causation in manipulationism: illustrations from cancer research

Christophe Malaterre1

  • 1Institut d'Histoire et de Philosophie des Sciences et Techniques, 13 rue du Four, 75006 Paris, France.

History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences
|June 6, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Cancer causation is debated: molecular vs. tissue-level factors. This study formally defines downward causation, exploring its implications for understanding cancer development and causal relationships.

Area of Science:

  • Philosophy of Science
  • Cancer Biology
  • Causation Theory

Background:

  • Cancer causation is debated, with some researchers focusing on molecular causes like gene mutations and others on tissue-level disruptions.
  • The concept of "downward causation" from tissue organization to cellular processes is a key point of contention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To formally define downward causation using a manipulationist account.
  • To explore the implications of downward causation for cancer research and causal relationship characterization.

Main Methods:

  • Adoption of a manipulationist account of causation (Woodward 2003).
  • Formal definition of downward causation and discussion of requirements (Baumgartner 2009).
  • Analysis of the compatibility of downward causation with non-reductive physicalism (Raatikainen 2010).

Main Results:

  • A formal definition of downward causation is proposed.
  • The proposed account does not support non-reductive physicalism.
  • Downward causation claims may highlight important dynamic properties of causal relationships.

Conclusions:

  • Downward causation can be formally defined within a manipulationist framework.
  • This framework challenges certain philosophical positions on physicalism.
  • Investigating downward causation offers insights into the complex nature of causal mechanisms in biological systems, including cancer.

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