Essentional Role of Causal Relations in Scientific Explanations (According to Wesely Salmon)

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Hassan Bigzadeh, Khadigeh | 2015

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Type of Document: Ph.D. Dissertation
Language: Farsi
Document No: 48253 (42)
University: Sharif University of Technology
Department: Philosophy of Science
Advisor(s): Hosseini, Ali
Abstract:
The ambiguity in the meaning of scientific explanation has caused the philosophers to use different criteria for differentiating it from other explanations. One of the most important of these criteria is Salmon’s criterion. According to Wesley Salmon, a scientific explanation is an objective issue and it is far beyond descriptive knowledge which can be found out about the world. The index provided by Salmon for explanation as a scientific interpretation is based on two principle foundations: 1. Statistical relevance 2. Causal relation. It would be a key to understand the world better. In this paper, first, we will argue that the explanation has both objective and subjective components and consistent with a realistic approach, realistic scientists use methods of Inference to the Best Explanation (IBE). The second will state that causality is a rational and philosophical notion, and, in contrast to the probabilistic approach, it retains the necessity of causal relations
Keywords:
Wesley Salmon Approach ; Scientific Explanation ; Causal Explanation ; Statistical Relevance Model ; Causal Mechanisms Model

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