Part 7: Explanations and causes

Question 1

Natural law:

Answer 1

A scientific law, usually thought to capture fundamental relationships in the natural world.

Question 2

Law-like generalization:

Answer 2

A generalization based on empirical evidence which appears to capture regularities in a way similar to how a law does.

Question 3

Deductive nomological account of explanation:

Answer 3

An account of what an explanation is that is based on deduction from laws and initial conditions.

Question 4

Explanandum:

Answer 4

What is to be explained.

Question 5

Conditional claim:

Answer 5

A claim involving the logical operator “if”, for instance of the form “If A then B”. (See also section 2.)

Question 6

Cause:

Answer 6

Something which produces a change in another object or in another event.

Question 7

Causal account of explanation:

Answer 7

An account of explanation where causes are used as the explanans (what provides the explanation).

Question 8

Singular causal explanation:

Answer 8

The explanation of a singular phenomenon or event by stating particular events as causes in the explanans.

Question 9

Explanandum (explananda):

Answer 9

What is to be explained.

Question 10

Explanans (explanantia):

Answer 10

What provides the explanation.

Question 11

Singular explanandum:

Answer 11

A singular event, phenomenon or property is to be explained.

Question 12

General explanandum:

Answer 12

A general event, phenomenon or property is to be explained.

Question 13

Singular explanans:

Answer 13

The explanation is provided by a number of particular events, phenomena and properties.

Question 14

General explanans:

Answer 14

The explanation is provided by a regularity or a law.

Question 15

Explanatory virtue:

Answer 15

A property of an explanation which makes it a good explanation.

Question 16

Accuracy (explanations):

Answer 16

The explanation is true.

Question 17

Precision of the explanandum:

Answer 17

The contrast featured in the explanandum is precisely stated.

Question 18

Precision in the explanans:

Answer 18

The contrast featured in the explanandum is reflected in the explanans.

Question 19

Non-sensitivity:

Answer 19

The explanans is not sensitive to small changes in circumstances, so that the causal chain in the explanans is not too long.

Question 20

Cognitive salience:

Answer 20

The explanation is easy to understand.

Question 21

Contributing cause:

Answer 21

X is a contributing cause of Y with respect of a set of background variables if there is a causal chain, each link of which is a direct cause extending from X to Y. Thus in (A), although X is not a direct cause of Y, it is a contributing cause of Y.

Question 22

Causal scenario:

Answer 22

A description of the causal chains in a situation or in a system, such as A causing B, B causingA, or C causing both A&B.

Question 23

Common cause:

Answer 23

Two phenomena are caused by the same phenomenon.

Question 24

Instrumental variable analysis:

Answer 24

Determining causal relationships from data.