Causal Contrapositive?

sonamsj

Can you take the contrapositive of a causal statement? For example, if it said that A caused B, and we don't have B, is it logically corrected to say then we don't have A? Or does causation not work like that?

iolaw-12

If A ALWAYS causes B then yes you can take the contrapositive: if you don't have B you also don't have A. But if A simply CAN cause B but doesn't always, then there is no contrapositive to be taken.

henry.ewing

Second what iolaw-12 says. Real world example: Smoking causes cancer, but not in everybody. Just because someone does not have cancer, that does not imply that they are not a smoker.

rdyoung12

Not sure what you mean by causal but I think this will help you (from JW's vid):

1) Sufficient satisfied: rule triggers, necessary must be satisfied

2) Sufficient failed: rule irrelevant, necessary is free to satisfy or fail

3) Necessary failed: rule triggers, sufficient must fail

4) necessary satisfied: rule irrelevant, sufficient could be true or false