imo, The idea of a cause is a logical concept of containment when used in theories. A causes B means the phenomena represented by A implies the phenomena represented by B. So, causation is a device of our symbolization and understanding of the world rather than anything fundamentally out there. this is of course a controversial view.
Causality eventually demands a "theory" for full explanatory power and understanding. Theories have premises, involve inference, and have predictions. Otherwise, we get ad-hoc models of phenomena via observations which is a great start, but ends up as an oversimplification. X causes Y but, what caused X or why did X cause Y and not Z ? models represent phenomena while theories explain them. we start with models, and then our curiosity eventually leads to a theory. refer [1] for a great read from a physicist turned quant.
Causality eventually demands a "theory" for full explanatory power and understanding. Theories have premises, involve inference, and have predictions. Otherwise, we get ad-hoc models of phenomena via observations which is a great start, but ends up as an oversimplification. X causes Y but, what caused X or why did X cause Y and not Z ? models represent phenomena while theories explain them. we start with models, and then our curiosity eventually leads to a theory. refer [1] for a great read from a physicist turned quant.
[1] https://www.amazon.com/Models-Behaving-Badly-Confusing-Illus...