Eli5: In science, can you establish causation without knowing the causal mechanism?

Question

Pretty much the title

In: 210

Answer 1

Yes, absolutely! This is very common in medicine. We know antidepressants are effective in depression and anxiety without a robust theory of action. We also know psychotherapy is effective without really knowing why. Lots of competing theories for both but so far no principled or empirical path to a solution.