Ross, Lauren N. (2017) Causal Explanation and the Periodic Table. [Preprint]
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Abstract
The periodic table represents and organizes all known chemical elements on the basis of their properties. While the importance of this table in chemistry is uncontroversial, the role that it plays in scientific reasoning remains heavily disputed. Many philosophers deny the explanatory role of the table and insist that it is “merely” classificatory (Shapere, 1977, 534-5) (Scerri, 1997a, 239). In particular, it has been claimed that the table does not figure in causal explanation because it “does not reveal causal structure” (Woody, 2014, 143). This paper provides an analysis of what it means to say that a scientific figure reveals causal structure and it argues that the modern periodic table does just this. It also clarifies why these “merely” classificatory claims have seemed so compelling–this is because these claims often focus on the earliest periodic tables, which lack the causal structure present in modern versions.
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Item Type: | Preprint | ||||||
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Keywords: | Causation, Scientific Explanation, Philosophy of Chemistry, Classification | ||||||
Subjects: | General Issues > Causation Specific Sciences > Chemistry General Issues > Explanation |
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Depositing User: | Lauren N. Ross | ||||||
Date Deposited: | 02 Oct 2018 13:46 | ||||||
Last Modified: | 02 Oct 2018 13:46 | ||||||
Item ID: | 15082 | ||||||
Subjects: | General Issues > Causation Specific Sciences > Chemistry General Issues > Explanation |
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Date: | 25 July 2017 | ||||||
URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/15082 |
Available Versions of this Item
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Finding causal structure. (deposited 26 Jul 2017 13:24)
- Causal Explanation and the Periodic Table. (deposited 02 Oct 2018 13:46) [Currently Displayed]
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