Philosophical Studies 175 (8):1985-2003 (2018)
Authors |
|
Abstract |
According to Hempel’s influential theory of explanation, explaining why some a is G consists in showing that the truth that a is G follows from a law-like generalization to the effect that all Fs are G together with the initial condition that a is F. While Hempel’s overall account is now widely considered to be deeply flawed, the idea that some generalizations play the explanatory role that the account predicts is still often endorsed by contemporary philosophers of science. This idea, however, conflicts with widely shared views in metaphysics according to which the generalization that all Fs are G is partially explained by the fact that a is G. I discuss two solutions to this conflict that have been proposed recently, argue that they are unsatisfactory, and offer an alternative.
|
Keywords | Grounding Explanation Laws of Nature Generalizations |
Categories | (categorize this paper) |
ISBN(s) | |
DOI | 10.1007/s11098-017-0946-x |
Options |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Download options
References found in this work BETA
Making Things Happen: A Theory of Causal Explanation.James Woodward - 2003 - Oxford University Press.
Guide to Ground.Kit Fine - 2012 - In Fabrice Correia & Benjamin Schnieder (eds.), Metaphysical Grounding. Cambridge University Press. pp. 37--80.
View all 45 references / Add more references
Citations of this work BETA
Breaking the Explanatory Circle.Michael Townsen Hicks - 2021 - Philosophical Studies 178 (2):533-557.
The oldest solution to the circularity problem for Humeanism about the laws of nature.David Mark Kovacs - 2020 - Synthese 198 (9):1-21.
View all 15 citations / Add more citations
Similar books and articles
Causal and Mechanistic Explanations in Ecology.Jani Raerinne - 2011 - Acta Biotheoretica 59 (3):251-271.
2. Reasons, Generalizations, Empathy, and Narratives: The Epistemic Structure of Action Explanation.Karsten R. Stueber - 2008 - History and Theory 47 (1):31–43.
Norms, Invariance, and Explanatory Relevance.David Henderson - 2005 - Philosophy of the Social Sciences 35 (3):324-338.
Defeasibility And The Normative Grasp Of Context.Margaret Little & Mark Lance - 2004 - Erkenntnis 61 (2-3):435-455.
Explanation and Invariance in the Special Sciences.James Woodward - 2000 - British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 51 (2):197-254.
Ceteris Paribus Laws and Minutis Rectis Laws.Luke Fenton-Glynn - 2016 - Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 93 (2):274-305.
The Role of Explanation in Discovery and Generalization: Evidence From Category Learning.Joseph J. Williams & Tania Lombrozo - 2010 - Cognitive Science 34 (5):776-806.
On the Testability of Psychological Generalizations (Psychological Testability).David K. Henderson - 1991 - Philosophy of Science (December) 586 (December):586-606.
Causes Without Mechanisms: Experimental Regularities, Physical Laws, and Neuroscientific Explanation.Marcel Weber - 2008 - Philosophy of Science 75 (5):995-1007.
Projectibility and Explainability or How to Draw a New Picture of Inductive Practices.Rami Israel - 2006 - Journal for General Philosophy of Science / Zeitschrift für Allgemeine Wissenschaftstheorie 37 (2):269-286.
Reduction and Explanation in the Theory of Content.Jeffrey Allan Hershfield - 1992 - Dissertation, The University of Arizona
Analytics
Added to PP index
2017-07-03
Total views
112 ( #103,301 of 2,499,418 )
Recent downloads (6 months)
4 ( #169,712 of 2,499,418 )
2017-07-03
Total views
112 ( #103,301 of 2,499,418 )
Recent downloads (6 months)
4 ( #169,712 of 2,499,418 )
How can I increase my downloads?
Downloads