Explaining without the Real

Schindler, Samuel (2007) Explaining without the Real.

Abstract

The causal-mechanistic account of explanation (CM) is a very intuitive account of scientific explanations. It guarantees objective explanations because it claims that we explain some set of phenomena by referring to the cause, which produces the phenomena in question. Yet, this intuitive appeal of the CM account comes at a high prize. Not only does one need to presuppose the reality of the cause, but also is one committed to some form of reductionism. The explanans is more fundamental because it produces the phenomena. In this paper I want to propose an alternative to the CM account which does without the metaphysical baggage the CM account has to shoulder, without compromising on the intuitive appeal of the CM account as an account of distinctively scientific explanations.