Ross, Lauren N. (2024) Explanation in Biology. [Preprint]
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Abstract
This book examines philosophical accounts of scientific explanation, particularly those that apply to biology and the life sciences. Two main categories of scientific explanation are examined in detail—causal explanations and non-causal explanations. The first section of this book provides a brief history and some basics on philosophical accounts of scientific explanation. Section two covers causal explanation, first by discussing foundational topics in the area, such as defining causation, causal selection, and reductive explanation. This is followed by an examination of distinct types of causal explanation, including those that appeal to mechanisms, pathways, and cascades. The third section of this book covers non-causal, mathematical explanations, which have received significant attention in recent philosophy of biology and the life sciences. Three main types of non-causal, mathematical explanation are discussed: topological and constraint-based explanation, optimality and efficiency explanations, and minimal model explanations. This work examines similarities and differences across accounts of scientific explanation, while situating them in the context of common goals, methods, and reasoning present in biology and the life sciences.
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| Item Type: | Preprint | ||||||
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| Keywords: | Causation, Explanation, Noncausal explanation, Biology, Neuroscience, Medicine | ||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Mathematics > Explanation Specific Sciences > Biology General Issues > Causation General Issues > Explanation Specific Sciences > Neuroscience |
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| Depositing User: | Lauren N. Ross | ||||||
| Date Deposited: | 23 Mar 2024 03:13 | ||||||
| Last Modified: | 23 Mar 2024 03:13 | ||||||
| Item ID: | 23218 | ||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Mathematics > Explanation Specific Sciences > Biology General Issues > Causation General Issues > Explanation Specific Sciences > Neuroscience |
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| Date: | 2024 | ||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/23218 |
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