The Magic of Causality

"Scientific research is the search for causes - that is, the reasons why particular forms of behavior occur...Discovering causal relationships cannot be directly observed.  Rather, it must be inferred from the observation of other factors.  Because of this, the philosopher John Kemeny has labeled causality 'the mysterious force.' We cannot see it, feel it, or hear it, be we often assume it is there - and many scientists search for causality with hopefulness and tenacity."

Applied Social Research:  A tool for the human services
Duane Monette, Thomas Sullivan, Cornell DeJong