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Explaining explanation in chemistry.

Grant Fisher1

  • 1Division of History and Philosophy of Science, School of Philosophy, The University of Leeds, UK. phlgaf@leeds.ac.uk

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
|June 11, 2003
PubMed
Summary
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Chemical explanations are not mere arguments. Exploring models and the semantic view of theories is key to understanding chemistry's unique explanatory power, supporting its scientific autonomy.

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.

Related Experiment Videos

  • 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.