ALT: a drawing of a girl with pink hearts on her head by debbie chicom

It is widely assumed that grounding resembles causation, and some argue that, like causation, grounding is subject to a proportionality constraint. According to this view, a good grounding explanation should identify a ground that is neither too general nor too specific with respect to the groundee. In this paper, I challenge that position. I begin by highlighting a confusion underlying a general argument for proportionality in grounding. I then critically examine two existing approaches to articulating the constraint, both of which tie proportionality to a notion of difference-making. One account develops this notion in counterfactual terms, while the other appeals to the process of abstraction. I argue that both approaches are inadequate. Finally, I offer a general objection to the imposition of any proportionality constraint on grounding, drawing on a structural feature of grounding itself. The result of this paper deepens our understanding of grounding by revealing a non-parallel between grounding and causation.

Pour son 9e album: The Ground Above, Beth Orton n'aurait pu choisir un meilleur titre. Celle qui nous avait habitué à des sonorités plus Pop éthérées par le passé (Kidsticks, Comfort of Strangers) s'avère maintenant plus "groundée" que jamais. Orton délaisse aussi le côté sous-marin de Weather Alive pour un son plus direct et plus vivifiant. Abordant le deuil, le renouveau et l'amour Beth semble avoir privatisé sa voix plus granuleuse afin de présenter une nouvelle facette de son émotivité.