Explanations Flashcards
State the quality criteria for making causal explanations better and more powerful
1) Non-sensitivity (of the explanans) - the less sensitive an explanation is to changes in background conditions, the more powerful it is
2) Accuracy - whether the explanans desribes the actual state/properties of the world. Must identify only the difference-making contributing causes
3) Precision (of the explanandum) - the more precise the contrast is stated in the explanandum, the better the explanation
4) Cognitive salience - the more easily a given explanation can be grasped, the more powerful it is
5) Difference-making (of the explanans) - the explanans must identify all the contributing causes that caused the difference asked for in the explanandum
What is type explanations?
Type explanations are more theoretical explanations of what happened:
• Theory of gravity: the vase was accelerated towards the ground
• Newtonian mechanics: a force on the table caused a force on the vase that made it fall over the edge
Type explanations can also be general statements, like: “Most house fires are due to unattended candles”.
What is singular explanations?
Singular explanations are more descriptions of what actually happened:
• The vase stood at a table • The table was bumped into • The vase fell to the ground
What is the Deductive-nomological account of explanation?
A DN explanation answers the question “why did the explanandum phenomenon occur?” by showing that the phenomenon resulted from certain particular circumstances, specified in (C1, C2…) in accordance with some general laws (L1, L2…). By pointing this out, the argument shows that, given the particular circumstances and the laws in question, the occurrence of the phenomenon was to be expected and it is in this sense that the explanation enables us to understand why the phenomenon occurred.
It has been criticized as it does not really explain any casualties, and just gives a prediction, something to be expected under certain circumstances.
What is the belief-desire explanation?
Desired state X more than state Y. Believed that action A brought about X but not Y, and B, Y but not X.
Therefore, chose action A over action B
