Reutlinger, Alexander (2015) Is There A Monist Theory of Causal and Non-Causal Explanations? The Counterfactual Theory of Scientific Explanation. [Preprint]
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Abstract
The goal of this paper is to develop a counterfactual theory of
explanation (for short, CTE). The CTE provides a monist framework for causal
and non-causal explanations, according to which both causal and non-causal
explanations are explanatory by virtue of revealing counterfactual dependencies
between the explanandum and the explanans. I argue that the CTE is applicable
to two paradigmatic examples of non-causal explanations: Euler’s explanation
and renormalization group explanations of universality.
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| Item Type: | Preprint | ||||||
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| Additional Information: | Forthcoming in Philosophy of Science | ||||||
| Keywords: | Non-causal explanation, scientific explanation, causal explanation, mathematical explanation, renormalization group, counterfactuals | ||||||
| Subjects: | General Issues > Causation General Issues > Explanation Specific Sciences > Mathematics Specific Sciences > Physics > Statistical Mechanics/Thermodynamics |
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| Depositing User: | Alexander Reutlinger | ||||||
| Date Deposited: | 01 Jan 2016 16:06 | ||||||
| Last Modified: | 24 Oct 2016 17:38 | ||||||
| Item ID: | 11842 | ||||||
| Subjects: | General Issues > Causation General Issues > Explanation Specific Sciences > Mathematics Specific Sciences > Physics > Statistical Mechanics/Thermodynamics |
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| Date: | 18 December 2015 | ||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/11842 |
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