Weatherall, James Owen (2011) On (Some) Explanations in Physics. [Preprint]
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Abstract
I offer one possible explanation of why inertial and gravitational mass are equal in Newtonian gravitation. I then argue that this is an example of a kind of explanation that is not captured by standard philosophical accounts of scientific explanation. Moreover, this form of explanation is particularly important, at least in physics, because demands for this kind of explanation are used to motivate and shape research into the next generation of physical theories. I suggest that explanations of the sort I describe reveal something important about one way in which physical theories can be related diachronically.
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| Item Type: | Preprint | ||||||
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| Additional Information: | Forthcoming in Philosophy of Science. | ||||||
| Keywords: | explanation; intertheoretic reduction; inertial mass; geometrized Newtonian gravitation; Newton-Cartan theory; general relativity | ||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Physics > Classical Physics General Issues > Explanation Specific Sciences > Physics > Relativity Theory |
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| Depositing User: | James Owen Weatherall | ||||||
| Date Deposited: | 11 Jun 2011 00:03 | ||||||
| Last Modified: | 11 Jun 2011 00:03 | ||||||
| Item ID: | 8664 | ||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Physics > Classical Physics General Issues > Explanation Specific Sciences > Physics > Relativity Theory |
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| Date: | 2011 | ||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/8664 |
Available Versions of this Item
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On (Some) Explanations in Physics. (deposited 10 Nov 2010 12:38)
- On (Some) Explanations in Physics. (deposited 11 Jun 2011 00:03) [Currently Displayed]
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