As philosophers have inquired over the nature of the world they have investigated in the conception of causation which is the relation that holds events together by cause and effect. Philosophers have been greatly interested in causation as they believe that it can provide insight into the structure and nature of the world, and it is the desire for this insight that has driven philosophers to move their investigation towards causation and personal identity.
Scottish philosopher, David Hume, accounts for causation as simply a constant conjunction of events. Certain causes and effects are constantly conjoined if it appears that a certain cause is usually followed by a certain effect. For example, if I were to drop a tennis ball from a balcony it would have the usual effect of falling to the ground. In this sense, Hume would say that the cause and effect are constantly conjoined. This brings about some serious consequence because if causation is just a constant conjunction of events then any event that is regularly followed by another event can be rightfully called its cause. To illustrate this problem consider a man turning off the lights in his living room at one o'clock. One can say that his flicking the power switch caused the lights to turn off, but consider if a bird three blocks down the street were to give a loud chirp everyday at one o'clock. Since events are regularly followed by the lights turning off, it can be said that both events have the right to be called the cause. This of course is not intuitively plausible.
This problem has lead philosophers to consider how to distinguish between a true causal sequence from just a regular sequence. In response to the problem some philosophers have resided to claiming that what separates causal sequences from regular sequences is the instantiation of causal laws. Causal laws have the form: if A occurs B has to occur, and express the direction of change of the events from one event to the next, and connect the changes in character of events. For example, if a man flicks a switch, electricity will be allowed to move through a circuit. If it is allowed to move in the circuit it can reach the light bulb. If it reaches the light bulb it can emit light. Note that every moment in the occurrence is driven by a law. Henceforth, the instantiation of a causal law by a sequence of events will determine if a sequence is truly causal or not.
As we have determined that the role of causal laws in causation is an essential one, it is obvious to see why philosophers and scientists have been interested in them. By looking at recurring modes of behavior of different kinds of things, philosophers and scientists can discover these causal laws. For example, if I were to observe a tennis ball falling to the ground every time I release it from my grip, then I could determine that there must be a causal law, which in this case pertains to gravity, that makes this event occur. Causal laws in essence, enable philosophers and scientists to determine the nature of an upcoming event.
We can reflect that this notion of causal laws is in opposition to Hume's account of causation. Hume claims that causation is merely a constant conjunction of regular events. There is no necessity for an effect to follow a cause, such necessity according to Hume is only created in the mind and is projected onto events. A causal law on the other hand declares that causation occurs independent of the mind and has a necessary determined occurrence. Therefore, it would be fair to state that a step towards causal laws is a step away from Hume.
Philosophers have looked at the relation between objects in hopes of trying to understand the world around them. If an examination of causation is an examination of a relation between things, A and B, then in order to obtain any enlightenment from a causal sequence, it is crucial to understand what exactly the things are in the relation. Persons are a major assets in causation as they often interact with other objects and other persons. Therefore it would seem reasonable to examine what exactly is a person.
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