Causal Theories: A Categorical Perspective on Bayesian Networks

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new categorical framework called causal theories for reasoning about causal relationships, generalizing Bayesian networks through symmetric monoidal categories and providing concrete models in measurable spaces.

Contribution

It develops the concept of causal theories as symmetric monoidal categories, offering a new algebraic and graphical approach to causal reasoning beyond traditional Bayesian networks.

Findings

Causal theories are formalized as symmetric monoidal categories.

Models in measurable spaces extend Bayesian networks.

The framework allows categorical classification and universal constructions.

Abstract

In this dissertation we develop a new formal graphical framework for causal reasoning. Starting with a review of monoidal categories and their associated graphical languages, we then revisit probability theory from a categorical perspective and introduce Bayesian networks, an existing structure for describing causal relationships. Motivated by these, we propose a new algebraic structure, which we term a causal theory. These take the form of a symmetric monoidal category, with the objects representing variables and morphisms ways of deducing information about one variable from another. A major advantage of reasoning with these structures is that the resulting graphical representations of morphisms match well with intuitions for flows of information between these variables. These categories can then be modelled in other categories, providing concrete interpretations for the variables and morphisms. In particular, we shall see that models in the category of measurable spaces and stochastic maps provide a slight generalisation of Bayesian networks, and naturally form a category themselves. We conclude with a discussion of this category, classifying the morphisms and discussing some basic universal constructions. ERRATA: (i) Pages 41-42: Objects of a causal theory are words, not collections, in $V$, and we include swaps as generating morphisms, subject to the identities defining a symmetric monoidal category. (ii) Page 46: A causal model is a strong symmetric monoidal functor.