Consider alcoholism. What causes alcoholism? The proximate cause is “drinking too much alcohol”—which is undeniably true, but not particularly useful. The question and the cause here are one and the same, since alcoholism means “drinking too much alcohol.” Treatment advice directed against the proximate cause—“Stop drinking so much alcohol”—is not useful. The crucial question, the one that we are really interested in, is: What is the ultimate cause of why alcoholism occurs. The ultimate cause includes •the addictive nature of alcohol, •any family history of alcoholism, •excessive stress in the
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