 The requirement of cohesion is needed to exclude disjunctions of causal factors from a kernel. Suppose \(C_1\) is a potential, but inactive causal factor, while \(C_2\) is active. That is, \(C_2\) is actually contributing to the causal production of \(E\), and \(C_1\) is not. Then neither \(C_1\) nor \(C_1 \vee C_2\) should be part of the kernel. We have just seen how \(C_1\) is excluded from the kernel by the requirement to maximize generality. \(C_1 \vee C_2\) is excluded by requiring that the kernel should be maximally cohesive. Other things being equal, kernels with \(\{C_1 \vee C_2\}\) and \(\{C_1, C_1 \vee C_2\}\) are less cohesive than the kernel containing just \(\{C_2\}\).