Abstract

The overall aim of this paper is to examine the claim that explanation is asymmetrical because causation is asymmetrical. The link between causal and explanatory asymmetry is focussed on. It is argued that many theories of causation account for causal asymmetry in a way that stops a causal model from contributing to our understanding of explanatory asymmetry. What appears to be generally advantageous with causal approaches is normally true only of a few specific causal accounts. These remaining alternatives, however, may well have some less attractive features that would never be brought to mind in the familiar explanatory contexts of balloons, flag poles, and the like—and with a standard concept of causation.