Explanation and Understanding av Arnon (Hebrew University of Jerusalem Israel) Levy

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<p>Science has multiple goals: to describe the world, as it is now; to predict the future and to make inferences about the past. But science also aims to understand the world ¿ to explain why it is the way it is. But what does it take to explain a phenomenon? What philosophical questions are at stake?</p><p>In this thorough and clearly written introduction to scientific explanation, Arnon Levy explores the following problems and questions:</p><ul><li>the background to the topic of scientific explanation, particularly the questions of what an explanation is, what makes a good explanation and why seek them in the first place</li><li>empiricism about explanation: Hempel''s Deductive-Nomological model and criticisms of Hempel''s theory</li><li>unificationism about explanation: are good scientific explanations those fit into an overall ''explanatory store''?</li><li>causation and explanation: Salmon''s ''statistical relevance'' and ''mark transmission'' arguments</li><li>causation and expla