Moving from correlation to causation is one of the most s...

Moving from correlation to causation is one of the most subtle and puzzling topics in social science. I think Judea Pearl is a genius, and this book is well worth reading. Andrew Gelman is right in that there is a lot to disagree with in Pearl's intellectual history���Pearl seems unable to give an even slightly charitable or generous reading of anybody else. But Andrew Gelman is also right that the meat of the book���the case studies and examples���"is great". And I at least think that Andrew Gelman is wrong in thinking that Pearl's writing on causal inference has little point. I believe Pearl's framework of confounders-colliders-mediators is of great help, at least to those of us whose thought is not as smart and subtle as Andrew Gelman's:

Andrew Gelman: "The Book of Why" by Pearl and Mackenzie: "Pearl and Mackenzie���s book is really three books... an exposition of Pearl���s approach to causal inference... an intellectual history... a series of examples.... I have difficulty understanding the point of Pearl���s writing on causal inference.... About the intellectual history... I disagree with a lot of what Pearl says.... The examples in the book. These are great.... The examples are interesting and they engage the reader���at least, they engage me���and I think they are a big part of what makes the book work...

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