Week 6

Question 1

Explanation

Answer 1

A statement or collection of statements describing why something is the case. It is usually reasoning from effect to cause. Explanations are hypotheses, not arguments.

Question 2

Inference to the Best Explanation (IBE)

Answer 2

A non-deductive argument that compares several rival explanations that seek to explain the key information, and whose conclusion is the best explanation. It has its own specific standard argument form.
Lead Question (Q): A well-framed question that guides and focuses our investigation. Being a question rather than statement, it is not strictly part of the argument, but it is part of the argument form.
Background (B): The background information against which the explanation occurs.
Key Information (K): The information that we wish to explain.
Rival Hypotheses (H): Explanations that are possible answers to the lead Question.
Explanatory Premises (P, U): Facts that strengthen or weaken support for some Hypotheses.
Evaluation (E): Description of the support for each Hypothesis, either against an absolute standard, or relative to other Hypotheses.
Best Explanation (C): The best supported rival Hypothesis.

Question 3

Standards for Hypotheses

Answer 3

Consistent: the conclusion makes sense given the evidence at hand and does not contradict the key information.
Competitive: the conclusion addresses the same set of evidence as the other conclusions that we are comparing it with.
Unconvoluted: the conclusion tells a believable story without having to add unlikely details.
Comprehensive: the conclusion explains all the evidence.
Charitable: the argument treats the evidence fairly. This is charity towards evidence, not to arguments as discussed earlier.

Question 4

Structured Argument

Answer 4

A way of structuring an argument, with each paragraph serving a particular role. It is a compromise between standard form and free-form prose argument.