Explanation, Laws, and Causation

Author:   Wei Wang
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
ISBN:  

9781138845831


Pages:   126
Publication Date:   11 April 2017
Format:   Hardback
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
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Explanation, Laws, and Causation


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Overview

Scientific explanation, laws of nature, and causation are crucial and frontier issues in the philosophy of science. This book studies the complex relationship between the three concepts, aiming to achieve a holistic synthesis about explanation–laws–causation. By reviewing Hempel's scientific explanation models and Salmon's three conceptions – the epistemic, modal, and ontic conception – the book suggests that laws are essential to explanation and that our understanding of laws will help solve the problems of the latter. Concerning the nature of laws, this book tackles both the problems of regularity approach and necessitarian approach. It also proposes that the ontological order of explanation should be from events (or processes) to causation, then to regularity (laws), and finally to science system, but the epistemological order should be from science system to laws to explanation and causation. In addition, this book examines the legitimacy of ceteris paribus laws, the connection between explanation and reduction, the relation between explanation and interpretation, and some other issues closely related to explanation–laws–causation. This book will attract scholars and students of philosophy of science, natural sciences, social sciences, etc.

Full Product Details

Author:   Wei Wang
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   Routledge
Weight:   0.272kg
ISBN:  

9781138845831


ISBN 10:   1138845833
Pages:   126
Publication Date:   11 April 2017
Audience:   College/higher education ,  College/higher education ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly ,  Undergraduate
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

Table of Contents

Preface for the English version Preface for the Chinese version 1 Hempel’s scientific explanation models and their problems 2 Six decades of scientific explanation 3 The very nature of laws of nature 4 The conceptions of scientific explanation and approaches to laws of nature 5 Causal mechanism and lawful explanation 6 Is there such a thing as a ceteris paribus law? 7 Explanation and reduction 8 Scientific explanation and historical interpretation 9 Synthesis: explanation, laws, and causation Bibliography Index

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Author Information

Wei Wang is a professor at the Institute of Science, Technology and Society, Tsinghua University. His research interests include general philosophy of science, philosophy of social science, and philosophy of biology.

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