Mechanisms, laws and explanation

Cartwright, N; Pemberton, J; Wieten, S

Abstract

Mechanisms are now taken widely in philosophy of science to provide one of modern science’s basic explanatory devices. This has raised lively debate concerning the relationship between mechanisms, laws and explanation. This paper focuses on cases where a mechanism gives rise to a ceteris paribus law, addressing two inter-related questions: (1) What kind of explanation is involved? and (2) What is going on in the world when mechanism M affords behavior B described in a ceteris paribus law? We explore various answers offered by ‘new mechanists’ and others before setting out and explaining our own answers: (1) mechanistic explanations are a species of oldfashioned covering-law explanation and this often accounts in part for their explanatory power; and (2) B is what it takes for some set of principles that govern the features of M’s parts in their arrangement in M all to be instanced together.

Citation

Cartwright, N., Pemberton, J., & Wieten, S. (2020). Mechanisms, laws and explanation. European Journal for Philosophy of Science, 10(3), Article 25. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13194-020-00284-y

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 28, 2020
• Online Publication Date: May 15, 2020
• Publication Date: Sep 30, 2020
• Deposit Date: Mar 5, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: May 15, 2021
• Journal: European Journal for Philosophy of Science
• Print ISSN: 1879-4912
• Electronic ISSN: 1879-4920
• Publisher: Springer
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 10
• Issue: 3
• Article Number: 25
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13194-020-00284-y
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1275214