I'm wondering if the following statement is fully correct:
Voltage causes current through a closed circuit, but through an
inductor it is the change in current that causes a voltage.
Obviously there is no current without voltage. In a simple DC circuit there's no doubt that voltage causes the current to flow.
However in AC circuit with an inductor, the voltage drop across the inductor is proportional to the rate of change of current. So we can have 0 voltage + peak current and vice versa.
But I wouldn't say that current causes voltage in this case, because there would be no current change without a voltage source connected to the circuit!
Best Answer
The magic here is Jefimenko's equation (of causity). It is charge, and moving charges that produce and respond to a field.
Let's suppose you have a voltage field. These can exist, but if the charge is fixed, then little current flows. This is what a resistor does. On the other hand, if the field can cause a displacement of charge, then a current will flow until a counter-field exists to stop it.
Note for example, no current flows across an inductor (transformer) or capacitor. The energy is transferred, and creates a new current on the other side of these devices.
But there are situations where voltage does not cause current, sometimes the charge and field must build high enough for the charge to discharge through a spark, or bolt-of-lightning.