Aspects of Scientific Explanation

Aspects of Scientific Explanation

Author: Carl Gustav Hempel

Publisher:

Published: 1970

Total Pages: 538

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK


Book Synopsis Aspects of Scientific Explanation by : Carl Gustav Hempel

Download or read book Aspects of Scientific Explanation written by Carl Gustav Hempel and published by . This book was released on 1970 with total page 538 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


Four Decades of Scientific Explanation

Four Decades of Scientific Explanation

Author: Wesley C. Salmon

Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press

Published: 2006-06-15

Total Pages: 253

ISBN-13: 0822973022

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

As Aristotle stated, scientific explanation is based on deductive argument-yet, Wesley C. Salmon points out, not all deductive arguments are qualified explanations. The validity of the explanation must itself be examined. Four Decades of Scientific Explanation provides a comprehensive account of the developments in scientific explanation that transpired in the last four decades of the twentieth century. It continues to stand as the most comprehensive treatment of the writings on the subject during these years.Building on the historic 1948 essay by Carl G. Hempel and Paul Oppenheim, "Studies in the Logic of Explanation," which introduced the deductive-nomological (D-N) model on which most work on scientific explanation was based for the following four decades, Salmon goes beyond this model's inherent basis of describing empirical knowledge to tells us "not only what, but also why." Salmon examines the predominant models in chronological order and describes their development, refinement, and criticism or rejection.Four Decades of Scientific Explanation underscores the need for a consensus of approach and ongoing evaluations of methodology in scientific explanation, with the goal of providing a better understanding of natural phenomena.


Book Synopsis Four Decades of Scientific Explanation by : Wesley C. Salmon

Download or read book Four Decades of Scientific Explanation written by Wesley C. Salmon and published by University of Pittsburgh Press. This book was released on 2006-06-15 with total page 253 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As Aristotle stated, scientific explanation is based on deductive argument-yet, Wesley C. Salmon points out, not all deductive arguments are qualified explanations. The validity of the explanation must itself be examined. Four Decades of Scientific Explanation provides a comprehensive account of the developments in scientific explanation that transpired in the last four decades of the twentieth century. It continues to stand as the most comprehensive treatment of the writings on the subject during these years.Building on the historic 1948 essay by Carl G. Hempel and Paul Oppenheim, "Studies in the Logic of Explanation," which introduced the deductive-nomological (D-N) model on which most work on scientific explanation was based for the following four decades, Salmon goes beyond this model's inherent basis of describing empirical knowledge to tells us "not only what, but also why." Salmon examines the predominant models in chronological order and describes their development, refinement, and criticism or rejection.Four Decades of Scientific Explanation underscores the need for a consensus of approach and ongoing evaluations of methodology in scientific explanation, with the goal of providing a better understanding of natural phenomena.


Scientific Explanation

Scientific Explanation

Author: Erik Weber

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2014-07-08

Total Pages: 100

ISBN-13: 9400764464

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

When scientist investigate why things happen, they aim at giving an explanation. But what does a scientific explanation look like? In the first chapter (Theories of Scientific Explanation) of this book, the milestones in the debate on how to characterize scientific explanations are exposed. The second chapter (How to Study Scientific Explanation?) scrutinizes the working-method of three important philosophers of explanation, Carl Hempel, Philip Kitcher and Wesley Salmon and shows what went wrong. Next, it is the responsibility of current philosophers of explanation to go on where Hempel, Kitcher and Salmon failed. However, we should go on in a clever way. We call this clever way the pragmatic approach to scientific explanation and clarify briefly what this approach consists in. The third chapter (A Toolbox for Describing and Evaluating Explanatory Practices) elaborates the pragmatic approach by presenting a toolbox for analysing scientific explanation. In the last chapter (Examples of Descriptions and Evaluations of Explanatory Practices) the approach is illustrated with real-life examples of scientists aiming at explaining. This book can be used as a textbook for intermediate philosophy of science courses and is also valuable as “suggested reading” for introductory courses in philosophy of science. The way the book is set up makes it an excellent study and research guide for advanced (MA and PhD) students that work on the topic of scientific explanation. Finally, it is a handy source and reference book for senior researchers in the field of scientific explanations and – more generally – for all philosophers of science. ​


Book Synopsis Scientific Explanation by : Erik Weber

Download or read book Scientific Explanation written by Erik Weber and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2014-07-08 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When scientist investigate why things happen, they aim at giving an explanation. But what does a scientific explanation look like? In the first chapter (Theories of Scientific Explanation) of this book, the milestones in the debate on how to characterize scientific explanations are exposed. The second chapter (How to Study Scientific Explanation?) scrutinizes the working-method of three important philosophers of explanation, Carl Hempel, Philip Kitcher and Wesley Salmon and shows what went wrong. Next, it is the responsibility of current philosophers of explanation to go on where Hempel, Kitcher and Salmon failed. However, we should go on in a clever way. We call this clever way the pragmatic approach to scientific explanation and clarify briefly what this approach consists in. The third chapter (A Toolbox for Describing and Evaluating Explanatory Practices) elaborates the pragmatic approach by presenting a toolbox for analysing scientific explanation. In the last chapter (Examples of Descriptions and Evaluations of Explanatory Practices) the approach is illustrated with real-life examples of scientists aiming at explaining. This book can be used as a textbook for intermediate philosophy of science courses and is also valuable as “suggested reading” for introductory courses in philosophy of science. The way the book is set up makes it an excellent study and research guide for advanced (MA and PhD) students that work on the topic of scientific explanation. Finally, it is a handy source and reference book for senior researchers in the field of scientific explanations and – more generally – for all philosophers of science. ​


Aspects of Scientific Explanation, and Other Essays in the Philosophy of Science [by] Carl G. Hempel

Aspects of Scientific Explanation, and Other Essays in the Philosophy of Science [by] Carl G. Hempel

Author: Carl Gustav Hempel

Publisher:

Published: 1965

Total Pages: 505

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK


Book Synopsis Aspects of Scientific Explanation, and Other Essays in the Philosophy of Science [by] Carl G. Hempel by : Carl Gustav Hempel

Download or read book Aspects of Scientific Explanation, and Other Essays in the Philosophy of Science [by] Carl G. Hempel written by Carl Gustav Hempel and published by . This book was released on 1965 with total page 505 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


The Philosophy of Carl G. Hempel

The Philosophy of Carl G. Hempel

Author: Carl Gustav Hempel

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 458

ISBN-13: 019514158X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

By presenting an analytical and historical introduction, comprehensive bibliography and selection of many of Carl G. Hempel's most important studies, this volume allows appreciation of an important philosopher of science in the 20th century.


Book Synopsis The Philosophy of Carl G. Hempel by : Carl Gustav Hempel

Download or read book The Philosophy of Carl G. Hempel written by Carl Gustav Hempel and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2001 with total page 458 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: By presenting an analytical and historical introduction, comprehensive bibliography and selection of many of Carl G. Hempel's most important studies, this volume allows appreciation of an important philosopher of science in the 20th century.


Scientific Explanation and the Causal Structure of the World

Scientific Explanation and the Causal Structure of the World

Author: Wesley C. Salmon

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2020-11-10

Total Pages: 321

ISBN-13: 0691221480

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The philosophical theory of scientific explanation proposed here involves a radically new treatment of causality that accords with the pervasively statistical character of contemporary science. Wesley C. Salmon describes three fundamental conceptions of scientific explanation--the epistemic, modal, and ontic. He argues that the prevailing view (a version of the epistemic conception) is untenable and that the modal conception is scientifically out-dated. Significantly revising aspects of his earlier work, he defends a causal/mechanical theory that is a version of the ontic conception. Professor Salmon's theory furnishes a robust argument for scientific realism akin to the argument that convinced twentieth-century physical scientists of the existence of atoms and molecules. To do justice to such notions as irreducibly statistical laws and statistical explanation, he offers a novel account of physical randomness. The transition from the "reviewed view" of scientific explanation (that explanations are arguments) to the causal/mechanical model requires fundamental rethinking of basic explanatory concepts.


Book Synopsis Scientific Explanation and the Causal Structure of the World by : Wesley C. Salmon

Download or read book Scientific Explanation and the Causal Structure of the World written by Wesley C. Salmon and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2020-11-10 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The philosophical theory of scientific explanation proposed here involves a radically new treatment of causality that accords with the pervasively statistical character of contemporary science. Wesley C. Salmon describes three fundamental conceptions of scientific explanation--the epistemic, modal, and ontic. He argues that the prevailing view (a version of the epistemic conception) is untenable and that the modal conception is scientifically out-dated. Significantly revising aspects of his earlier work, he defends a causal/mechanical theory that is a version of the ontic conception. Professor Salmon's theory furnishes a robust argument for scientific realism akin to the argument that convinced twentieth-century physical scientists of the existence of atoms and molecules. To do justice to such notions as irreducibly statistical laws and statistical explanation, he offers a novel account of physical randomness. The transition from the "reviewed view" of scientific explanation (that explanations are arguments) to the causal/mechanical model requires fundamental rethinking of basic explanatory concepts.


Depth

Depth

Author: Michael Strevens

Publisher: Harvard University Press

Published: 2011-09-30

Total Pages: 537

ISBN-13: 0674062574

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

What does it mean for scientists to truly understand, rather than to merely describe, how the world works? Michael Strevens proposes a novel theory of scientific explanation and understanding that overhauls and augments the familiar causal approach to explanation. What is replaced is the test for explanatorily relevant causal information: Strevens discards the usual criterion of counterfactual dependence in favor of a criterion that turns on a process of progressive abstraction away from a fully detailed, physical causal story. The augmentations include the introduction of a new, non-causal explanatory relevance relation—entanglement—and an independent theory of the role of black-boxing and functional specification in explanation. The abstraction-centered notion of difference-making leads to a rich causal treatment of many aspects of explanation that have been either ignored or handled inadequately by earlier causal approaches, including the explanation of laws and other regularities, with particular attention to the explanation of physically contingent high-level laws, idealization in explanation, and probabilistic explanation in deterministic systems, as in statistical physics, evolutionary biology, and medicine. The result is an account of explanation that has especially significant consequences for the higher-level sciences: biology, psychology, economics, and other social sciences.


Book Synopsis Depth by : Michael Strevens

Download or read book Depth written by Michael Strevens and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2011-09-30 with total page 537 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What does it mean for scientists to truly understand, rather than to merely describe, how the world works? Michael Strevens proposes a novel theory of scientific explanation and understanding that overhauls and augments the familiar causal approach to explanation. What is replaced is the test for explanatorily relevant causal information: Strevens discards the usual criterion of counterfactual dependence in favor of a criterion that turns on a process of progressive abstraction away from a fully detailed, physical causal story. The augmentations include the introduction of a new, non-causal explanatory relevance relation—entanglement—and an independent theory of the role of black-boxing and functional specification in explanation. The abstraction-centered notion of difference-making leads to a rich causal treatment of many aspects of explanation that have been either ignored or handled inadequately by earlier causal approaches, including the explanation of laws and other regularities, with particular attention to the explanation of physically contingent high-level laws, idealization in explanation, and probabilistic explanation in deterministic systems, as in statistical physics, evolutionary biology, and medicine. The result is an account of explanation that has especially significant consequences for the higher-level sciences: biology, psychology, economics, and other social sciences.


Aspects of Scientific Explanation

Aspects of Scientific Explanation

Author: HEMPEL CARL GUSTAV.

Publisher:

Published: 1965

Total Pages: 505

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK


Book Synopsis Aspects of Scientific Explanation by : HEMPEL CARL GUSTAV.

Download or read book Aspects of Scientific Explanation written by HEMPEL CARL GUSTAV. and published by . This book was released on 1965 with total page 505 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


Understanding, Explanation, and Scientific Knowledge

Understanding, Explanation, and Scientific Knowledge

Author: Kareem Khalifa

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2017-10-05

Total Pages: 265

ISBN-13: 1107195632

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The first comprehensive exploration of the nature and value of understanding, addressing burgeoning debates in epistemology and philosophy of science.


Book Synopsis Understanding, Explanation, and Scientific Knowledge by : Kareem Khalifa

Download or read book Understanding, Explanation, and Scientific Knowledge written by Kareem Khalifa and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2017-10-05 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first comprehensive exploration of the nature and value of understanding, addressing burgeoning debates in epistemology and philosophy of science.


Aspects of Scientific Explanation, and Other Essays in the Philosophy of Science

Aspects of Scientific Explanation, and Other Essays in the Philosophy of Science

Author: Carl G. Hempel

Publisher:

Published: 1973

Total Pages: 505

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK


Book Synopsis Aspects of Scientific Explanation, and Other Essays in the Philosophy of Science by : Carl G. Hempel

Download or read book Aspects of Scientific Explanation, and Other Essays in the Philosophy of Science written by Carl G. Hempel and published by . This book was released on 1973 with total page 505 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: