Proximate and ultimate causation (original) (raw)

A proximate cause is an event which is closest to, or immediately responsible for causing, some observed result. This exists in contrast to a higher-level ultimate cause (or distal cause) which is usually thought of as the "real" reason something occurred. * Example: Why did the ship sink? * Proximate cause: Because it was holed beneath the waterline, water entered the hull and the ship became denser than the water which supported it, so it could not stay afloat. * Ultimate cause: Because the ship hit a rock which tore open the hole in the ship's hull.