Explanatory Pluralism
About this book
Explaining phenomena is one of the main activities in which scientists engage. This book proposes a new philosophical theory of scientific explanation by developing and defending the position of explanatory pluralism with the help of the notion of 'explanatory games'. Mantzavinos provides a descriptive account of the explanatory activity of scientists in different domains and shows how they differ from commonsensical explanations offered in everyday life by ordinary people and also from explanations offered in religious contexts. He also shows how an evaluation and a critical appraisal of explanations put forward in different social arenas can take place on the basis of different values. Explanatory Pluralism provides solutions to all important descriptive and normative problems of the philosophical theory of explanation as illustrated in sophisticated case studies from economics and medicine, but also from mythology and religion.
Frequently asked questions
- Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
- Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Half-title page
- Title page
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Preface and Acknowledgments
- 1 Introduction
- 2 The Wrong Question: What Is an Explanation?
- 3 A Brief Outlook on the Social Sciences
- 4 Towards Explanatory Pluralism
- 5 The Explanatory Enterprise
- 6 The Rules of the Explanatory Game
- 7 The Plurality of Explanatory Games
- 8 Explanatory Activity as Problem-Solving Activity
- 9 Explanatory Rules as Shared Rules
- 10 Normative Appraisal: A Procedural Conception
- 11 Explanatory Methodology as Technology
- 12 Epilogue
- References
- Name Index
- Subject Index
