Overdetermination
When a single effect has multiple sufficient causes / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Overdetermination occurs when a single-observed effect is determined by multiple causes, any one of which alone would be conceivably sufficient to account for ("determine") the effect. The term "overdetermination" (German: Überdeterminierung) was used by Sigmund Freud as a key concept in his psychoanalysis, and later by Louis Althusser.
This article is about causation. For the mathematical term involving systems of linear equations, see Overdetermined system. For the loophole in Bell's theorem, see Superdeterminism.
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (June 2017) |
In the philosophy of science, the concept of overdetermination has been used to describe a situation in which there are more causes present than are necessary to cause an effect. Overdetermination here is in contrast to underdetermination, when the number or strength of causes is insufficient.