Northcott, Robert (2008) Weighted explanations in history. Philosophy of the Social Sciences, 38 (1). pp. 76-96.

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Abstract

Weighted explanations, whereby some causes are deemed more important than others, are ubiquitous in historical studies. Drawing from influential recent work on causation, I develop a definition of causal-explanatory strength. This makes clear exactly which aspects of explanatory weighting are subjective and which objective. It also sheds new light on several traditional issues, showing for instance that: underlying causes need not be more important than proximate ones; several different causes can each be responsible for most of an effect; small causes need not be less important than big ones; and non-additive interactive effects between causes present no particular difficulty.

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Item Type:	Published Article or Volume
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Northcott, Robert r.northcott@bbk.ac.uk
Keywords:	causation; explanation; history; interaction; proximate; underlying
Subjects:	General Issues > Explanation Specific Sciences > Sociology
Depositing User:	Dr Robert Northcott
Date Deposited:	30 Nov 2018 21:26
Last Modified:	30 Nov 2018 21:26
Item ID:	15408
Journal or Publication Title:	Philosophy of the Social Sciences
Subjects:	General Issues > Explanation Specific Sciences > Sociology
Date:	March 2008
Page Range:	pp. 76-96
Volume:	38
Number:	1
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/15408

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