What is causation in algebra?

Answer 1

Here's a somewhat uneducated take:

In mathematics, there is algebra in the sense of solving quadratic equations, but in higher level mathematics, there are various kinds of "algebras", which are really totally different from what we normal people call algebra.

The name algebra comes from Arabic words meaning "a method for putting together"; in other words, some kind of logical system for figuring things out. If you've heard of Boolean algebra, you have an idea of how it's completely different from "Algebra I", but it is a system for figuring out logic problems.

Now if you have worked with graphs of say frequency of lung cancer and tobacco smoking, you may think that the graph shows that smoking causes lung cancer. Actually it just shows there is a correlation between smoking and lung cancer. Maybe there is a gene which makes people want to smoke, and also causes lung cancer ... then it is the gene that causes both of them. So this is what the causation part is about.

If you're way ahead of me, then enter "causation in algebra" into your search engine of choice, and knock yourself out on philosophy, teleology, and stuff.

Thanks for asking!