PhilSci Archive

Mechanisms Without Mechanistic Explanation

Weinberger, Naftali (2017) Mechanisms Without Mechanistic Explanation. [Preprint]

[img]
Preview
Text
Mech Synth Final.pdf

Download (704kB) | Preview

Abstract

Some recent accounts of constitutive relevance have identified mechanism components with entities that are causal intermediaries between the input and output of a mechanism. I argue that on such accounts there is no distinctive inter-level form of mechanistic explanation and that this highlights an absence in the literature of a compelling argument that there are such explanations. Nevertheless, the entities that these accounts call ‘components’ do play an explanatory role. Studying causal intermediaries linking variables X and Y provides knowledge of the counterfactual conditions under which X will continue to bring about Y. This explanatory role does not depend on whether intermediate variables count as components. The question of whether there are distinctively mechanistic explanations remains open.


Export/Citation: EndNote | BibTeX | Dublin Core | ASCII/Text Citation (Chicago) | HTML Citation | OpenURL
Social Networking:
Share |

Item Type: Preprint
Creators:
CreatorsEmailORCID
Weinberger, Naftalinaftali.weinberger@gmail.com
Additional Information: To Appear in Synthese
Keywords: Mechanisms; Causation; Causal Modeling; Extrapolation; Constitution;
Subjects: General Issues > Causation
Specific Sciences > Complex Systems
Specific Sciences > Cognitive Science
General Issues > Experimentation
General Issues > Explanation
Depositing User: Mr. Naftali Weinberger
Date Deposited: 18 Aug 2017 16:02
Last Modified: 18 Aug 2017 16:02
Item ID: 13333
Subjects: General Issues > Causation
Specific Sciences > Complex Systems
Specific Sciences > Cognitive Science
General Issues > Experimentation
General Issues > Explanation
Date: 14 August 2017
URI: https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/13333

Monthly Views for the past 3 years

Monthly Downloads for the past 3 years

Plum Analytics

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item