Ross, Lauren N. (2026) Causal Explanation in Biology: A Control Element Account. [Preprint]
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Abstract
This chapter discusses the topic of scientific explanation, which has received significant attention in biology and philosophy of biology. In the philosophical literature, explanation is viewed as an important aim of science, which differs from other scientific projects such as mere description, prediction, and classification. Philosophical accounts of scientific explanation aim to clarify how explanations work, which exact factors are (and are not) explanatory, and the principles that guide explanatory practice. This chapter provides an account of causal explanation in biology with a focus on examples from molecular and cellular contexts. I will introduce a control element account of causal explanation, in which biologists explain outcomes by appealing to a set of main causes that are control elements for a target. This analysis suggests that explanatory causes are selected according to three control criteria—whether they provide information about (i) minimal control, (ii) ideal control, and (iii) more control (MIM) over the explanatory target. This account will outline the main steps of explanations, standards that need to be met, and the considerations that guide explanatory relevance, that is to say, how biologists determine what factors explain an outcome of interest.
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| Item Type: | Preprint | ||||||
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| Keywords: | Causal explanation; scientific explanation; causation; philosophy of biology | ||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Biology General Issues > Causation General Issues > Explanation Specific Sciences > Neuroscience |
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| Depositing User: | Lauren N. Ross | ||||||
| Date Deposited: | 09 Mar 2026 13:52 | ||||||
| Last Modified: | 09 Mar 2026 13:52 | ||||||
| Item ID: | 28496 | ||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Biology General Issues > Causation General Issues > Explanation Specific Sciences > Neuroscience |
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| Date: | 2026 | ||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/28496 |
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