The complex and difficult problem of causality is central to our
understanding of nutrition research. A cause is defined as "that
factor which is possible or convenient for us to alter in order to
produce or prevent an effect. This concept contains two components:
production of an effect and an understanding of its mechanisms." To
understand current concepts of causality, it is helpful to briefly
review historical thinking about it. Aristotle believed that bodies
in motion required constant force (efficient cause) to keep them
moving, that the seed contained the adult (teleological cause). After
more than 2,000 years, Newton overturned Aristotle in physics with
the concept of inertia. Hume further advanced our understanding by
postulating that our notion of causality depends on well-documented
associations. Partially correct, Kant believed the mind (brain)
imposes notions of time, extension, and causality on nature.
<http://www.csicop.org/specialarticles/nutrition/>Link
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