Philosophy
The Nature of Causation and the Problem of Causal Overdetermination
Quick fact
In cases of causal overdetermination, an effect has more than one sufficient cause, each capable of producing it alone. This breaks a core assumption of counterfactual theories of causation, which claim an effect depends on its cause—here, even if one cause were absent, the effect would still occur.
Why this is interesting
Suppose two assassins shoot the same victim at the same moment—each bullet would be fatal. Who caused the death? Both? Neither? And what does that tell us about how causes really work?