Arguments and explanation

Question 1

deductive nomological explanation and mechanistic explanation which one is in the form of an argument? and what are its problems

Answer 1

DNE. It also implies laws of nature and initial conditions as premises. DNE doesn’t provide new knowledge.

problems are:

1. asymmetry (deduction is 2-way while the explanation is one way)
2. Neuroscience, life sciences, and psychology don’t have laws of nature.

Question 2

Án argument should be sound, what does it mean?

Answer 2

1. valid (C follow from Ps).

2. True Ps

Question 3

explanandum and explanans are?

Answer 3

dum: what we want to explain
nans: the explanation.

Question 4

types of explanation:

Answer 4

1. events (window broke hit by the ball)
2. actions (drank because thirsty)
3. property, mereological, reductive (water freeze because H2O bind each other under this temperature)

Question 5

Are these arguments and why?

A. Plato taught that the body is a prison of the soul
Therefore: The body is the prison of the soul

B. Plato knew that the body is a prison of the soul
Whatever someone knows is true
Therefore: The body is the prison of the soul

Answer 5

A. no, not valid
B. no, valid but not sound

(very important to focus only on what is written and not to imagine propositions to fill the blank).

Question 6

Why does logic focus on validity?

Answer 6

Because soundness is a factual question that cannot be

answered with logical methods alone.

Question 7

what are the mechanisms in mechanistic explanations?

Answer 7

They are structures that bring about regular change under defined conditions.