This book provides a post positivist theory of deterministic and probabilistic causality that supports both quantitative and qualitative explanations Features of particular interest include the ability to provide true explanations in contexts where our knowledge is incomplete a systematic interpretation of causal modeling techniques in the social sciences and a direct realist view of causal relations that is compatible with a liberal empiricism The book should be of wide interest to both philosophers and scientists Originally published in 1989 The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print on demand technology to again make available previously out of print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905