Causality and Counterfactuals in the Situation Calculus

摘要

Structural causal models offer a popular framework for exploring causal concepts. However, due to their limited expressiveness, structural models have difficulties coping with such concepts as actual (event-to-event) causation. In this article, we propose a new type of causal model, based on embedding structural considerations in the language of situation calculus. By using situation calculus as a basic language, we leverage its power to express complex, dynamically changing situations and, by relying on structural considerations, we can formulate an effective theory of counterfactuals within the situation-calculus.