Formalizing Causal Models Through the Semantics of Conditional Independence
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zhang-azhang03-meng-eecs-2025-thesis.pdf
Description
Thesis PDF
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788.43 KB
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Author(s)
Zhang, Anna
Advisor(s)
Chlipala, Adam
Date Issued
May 2025
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
Many foundational tools in causal inference are based on graphical structure and can involve complex conditions that obscure the underlying causal logic. Given the inherent complexity and subtlety of cause-and-effect phenomena, establishing formal guarantees about these tools is both challenging and important. This thesis presents a semantics-driven formalization of causal models within the Coq proof assistant, enabling precise, mechanized reasoning about causal relationships. Central to this work is a new function-based definition of conditional independence, which captures how changes propagate through a causal graph. We prove that this semantic notion is equivalent to the standard graphical criterion of d-separation, thereby establishing a rigorous bridge between structural and semantic interpretations of independence. The formalization includes a library of graph-theoretic and causal-reasoning tools, encompassing key concepts such as mediators, confounders, and colliders. By linking the syntactic and semantic perspectives on causality, this work lays a robust foundation for formally verifying causal assumptions and guiding experimental design.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
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