Explaining explanation in chemistry

Area of Science:

• Philosophy of Science
• Chemical Explanation
• Scientific Models

Background:

• The dominant view in philosophy of science equates explanations with arguments, stemming from the covering law account.
• This perspective struggles to adequately represent the nature of explanation within the field of chemistry.
• The frequent utilization of models in chemistry suggests their crucial role in scientific explanation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To challenge the argument-based view of explanation in the context of chemical phenomena.
• To advocate for alternative accounts of explanation that recognize the autonomy of chemistry.
• To explore how contemporary theories of scientific models can illuminate chemical explanation.

Main Methods:

• Critically analyze the limitations of the covering law account for chemical explanations.
• Examine current philosophical accounts of scientific models, focusing on their autonomy from fundamental laws.
• Investigate the potential of the semantic view of theories to support model autonomy and chemical explanation.

Main Results:

• Developments in the philosophy of science fail to capture the distinctiveness of chemical explanations.
• Models in chemistry possess a degree of autonomy from fundamental physical laws, crucial for their explanatory function.
• The semantic view of theories provides a framework for understanding model autonomy.

Conclusions:

• The explanatory autonomy of chemistry necessitates moving beyond argument-centric accounts of explanation.
• Contemporary models of scientific models offer a promising avenue for understanding chemical explanation.
• The semantic view of theories plays a vital role in articulating model autonomy and, consequently, the explanatory autonomy of chemistry.