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Thematic section

Dispositions and Grounding in a Causal Dispositional Framework

Vanessa Triviño
Rey Juan Carlos University, Madrid, Spain.
María Cerezo
Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain.

Published 2026-01-27

Keywords

  • Fundamentación,
  • Disposiciones,
  • Causalidad disposicional,
  • Poder causal
  • Grounding,
  • Dispositions,
  • Dispositional Causation,
  • Causal Power

Abstract

This paper explores the presence of grounding relations within a causal dispositional framework. In particular, we examine the relationship between a cause and the dispositions whose manifestations give rise to a causal process (Mumford & Anjum, 2011). To determine whether this relation qualifies as a grounding relation, we evaluate two key criteria: (i) the satisfaction of the standard features typically attributed to grounding—irreflexivity, asymmetry, and transitivity—and (ii) the fulfillment of the negative criterion that grounding relations are neither identity nor causal relations.

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