"Causal Agnosticism About Race: Variable Selection Problems in Causal Inference" - Alexander Tolbert

Originally presented on: Monday, April 29th ,2024 at 11:30am CT, TTIC, 6045 S. Kenwood Avenue, 5th Floor, Room 530
Title: "Causal Agnosticism About Race: Variable Selection Problems in Causal Inference"
Speaker: Alexander Tolbert, Emory University
Abstract: This talk presents a new perspective in the philosophy of race and causation literature, commonly known as "causal agnosticism" about race. Causal agnosticism about race suggests that it is reasonable to hold back from making judgments about whether race is a cause. The thesis of the paper asserts that certain conditions must be met to infer that something is a cause, according to the fundamental assumptions of causal inference. However, in the case of race, these conditions are often violated. By advocating for causal agnosticism, the paper suggests a more modest approach to understanding the role of race in causal relationships.
This is a copy of abstract phrase from Dr. Tolbert's paper, and its whole version can be found at www.cambridge.....
#theory #philosophy #casual #agnosticism #race