‘More of a Cause’: Recent Work on Degrees of Causation and Responsibility

It is often natural to compare two events by describing one as ‘more of a cause’ of some effect than the other. But what do such comparisons amount to, exactly? This paper aims to provide a guided tour of the recent literature on ‘degrees of causation’. Section looks at what I call ‘dependence measures’, which arise from thinking of causes as difference‐makers . Section looks at what I call ‘production measures’, which arise from thinking of causes as jointly sufficient for their effects. Finally, section examines the important question of whether there is any sense in which an agent is more responsible for an outcome in virtue of her action being more of a cause of it. I describe a puzzle that emerges from this question, and explore various strategies for resolving it.