Skip to main content

What Good is an Explanation?

  • Chapter
Book cover Explanation

Part of the book series: Synthese Library ((SYLI,volume 302))

Abstract

We are addicted to explanation, constantly asking and answering why-questions. But what does an explanation give us? I will consider some of the possible goods, intrinsic and instrumental, that explanations provide.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Friedman, M., (1974). “Explanation and Scientific Understanding”, The Journal of Philosophy, 71, 1–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Garfinkel, A., (1981). Forms of Explanation. New Haven: Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Glymour, C., (1980). “Explanations, Tests, Unity and Necessity”, Nous, 14, 31–50.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Hempel, C., (1965). Aspects of Scientific Explanation. New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Hume, D., (1777). An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, L. A. Selby-Bigg and P. H. Nidditch (eds.), 1975, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Humphreys, P., (1989). The Chances of Explanation. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Kitcher, P., (1989). “Explanatory Unification and the Causal Structure of the World”, in Kitcher and Salmon (eds.), 1989, 410–505.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Kitcher, P. and Salmon, W., (eds.) (1989). Scientific Explanation, Vol 13, Minnesota Studies in the Philosophy of Science. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Lewis, D., (1986). “Causal Explanation”, in his Philosophical Papers, Vol. II, New York: Oxford University Press, 214–240.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Lipton, P., (1991). Inference to the Best Explanation. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Lipton, P., (1993). “Contrastive Explanation”, in Ruben (ed.), 1993.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Ruben, D., (1990). Explaining Explanation. London: Routledge.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  13. Ruben, D., (ed.), (1993). Explanation. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Salmon, W., (1989). Four Decades of Scientific Explanation. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Salmon, W., (1998). Causality and Explanation. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  16. Sosa, E. and Tooley, M., (eds.), (1993). Causation. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2001 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Lipton, P. (2001). What Good is an Explanation?. In: Hon, G., Rakover, S.S. (eds) Explanation. Synthese Library, vol 302. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-9731-9_2

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-9731-9_2

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-90-481-5827-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-015-9731-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics