Inquiry Into the Relation of Cause and Effect . Fourth Edition

Inquiry Into The Relation Of Cause And Effect. Fourth Edition by Thomas Brown. This philosophical treatise argues that the 'power' in causation is not a mysterious hidden force but the invariable antecedence and consequent relation in observed sequences. Brown defines power as the uniformity of succession, and distinguishes between 'efficient' and 'physical' causation as linguistic confusions. Across four parts, he fixes the import of causation, explains sources of illusion, examines circumstances under which belief arises, and critiques Hume's theory of our belief in causation as habit or custom. He discusses mind and matter, the role of divine agency, and the plausibility of miracles within a theistic framework. He emphasizes that knowledge of future events relies on experience; that power is a mental construction tied to the observed regularity of events; and that power's notion is universal and intuitive, not derived from a priori reasoning.