What does proximate and ultimate causation mean?

Definitions for proximate and ultimate causation
prox·i·mate and ulti·mate cau·sa·tion

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word proximate and ultimate causation.

Wikipedia

  1. Proximate and ultimate causation

    A proximate cause is an event which is closest to, or immediately responsible for causing, some observed result. This exists in contrast to a higher-level ultimate cause (or distal cause) which is usually thought of as the "real" reason something occurred. Example: Why did the ship sink? Proximate cause: Because it was holed beneath the waterline, water entered the hull and the ship became denser than the water which supported it, so it could not stay afloat.

Wikidata

  1. Proximate and ultimate causation

    A proximate cause is an event which is closest to, or immediately responsible for causing, some observed result. This exists in contrast to a higher-level ultimate cause which is usually thought of as the "real" reason something occurred. Example: Why did the ship sink? Proximate cause: Because it was holed beneath the waterline, water entered the hull and the ship became denser than the water which supported it, so it could not stay afloat. Ultimate cause: Because the ship hit a rock which tore open the hole in the ship's hull. In most situations, an ultimate cause may itself be a proximate cause for a further ultimate cause. Hence we can continue the above example as follows: Example: Why did the ship hit the rock? Proximate cause: Because the ship failed to change course to avoid it. Ultimate cause: Because the ship was under autopilot and the autopilot's data were inaccurate. Separating proximate from ultimate causation frequently leads to better understandings of the events and systems concerned.

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of proximate and ultimate causation in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of proximate and ultimate causation in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

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"proximate and ultimate causation." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Nov. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/proximate+and+ultimate+causation>.

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