7. Explanations And Causes Flashcards
Natural law
A scientific law, usually thought to capture fundamental relationships in the natural world
Law-like generalization
A generalization based on empirical evidence which appears to capture regularities in a way similar to how a law does
Deductive-nomological account of explanation
An account of what an explanation is that is based on deduction from natural laws or law-like generalizations, and initial conditions
Explanandum
That which is to be explained
Explanan
That which provides the explanation
Cause
A change in one object or event which produces a change in another object or in another event
Causal account of explanation
An account of explanation where causes are the main component of the explanans
(That which provides the explanation)
Singular causal explanation
The explanation of a singular phenomenon or event by stating particular events as causes in the explanans
Singular explanandum
A singular event, phenomenon or property that is to be explained
General explanandum
A general event, phenomenon or property that is to be explained
Singular explanans
The explanation is provided by a number of particular events, phenomena and properties
General explanans
The explanation is provided by a regularity or a law
Explanatory virtue
A property of an explanation which improves its quality in some respect
Accuracy
(Explanations)
The explanans is true in the relevant aspects
Precision of the explanandum
The contrast featured in the explanandum is precisely stated
Precision of the explanans
The contrast featured in the explanandum is reflected in the explanans
Non-sensitivity
The causal chain in the explanans is sufficiently short so that the explanans is not sensitive to small changes in circumstances
Cognitive salience
The explanation is easy to understand for a target subject
Direct cause
X is a direct cause of Y if and only if there is a possible intervention on X that will change Y, when all the background conditions are held constant
Contributing cause
X is a contributing cause of Y with respect to some background variables if there is a causal chain such that each link in the chain is a direct cause between two variables and where the chain begins at X and ends at Y
Causal scenario
A description of the possible causal relations in a variable system.
These include
1. A being the cause of B or,
2. B being the cause of A, or,
3. There exists no direct causal relation between A and B, but a third factor C that causes A and B respectively
Common cause
Two phenomena are caused by the same phenomenon
Instrumental variable analysis
Determining causal relationships from data
