Four Decades of Scientific Explanation

by Wesley C. Salmon

Book Overview

As Aristotle stated, scientific explanation is based on deductive argument--yet, Wesley C. Salmon points out, not all deductive arguments are qualified explanations. The validity of the explanation must itself be examined. "Four Decades of Scientific Explanation" provides a comprehensive account of the developments in scientific explanation that transpired in the last four decades of the twentieth century. It continues to stand as the most comprehensive...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0816618259
• ISBN13: 9780816618255
• Release Date: January 1990
• Publisher: Univ of Minnesota Pr
• Length: 200 Pages
• Weight: 0.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 0.8" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

Interesting But Technical

An interesting historically oriented survey of the topic of scientific explanation. The author is a noted philosopher of science and the text is a mixture of historical review, analysis, and his own personal perspective. Written well but the level of discussion is often fairly technical with appeals to formal logic and clearly aimed at a relatively specialized audience. Salmon's starting point is an important essay on scientific explanation published by Hempel and Oppenheim in the late 1940s. These authors' deductive logic based approach became the standard account. Salmon then goes on to discuss criticisms of the standard account and subsequent attempts to produce a satisfactory account of scientific explanation. Salmon deals at length with a series of fairly difficult issues. How to deal with probablistic as opposed to deterministic processes. Is scientific explanation about logically subsuming phenomena under general laws or about tracing specific mechanisms? What constitutes a scientific law? What is the nature of explanation in general? How do these questions touch on issues of scientific realism? The individual discussions are very good, though somewhat intellectually demanding.

Great intro to scientific explanation

Salmon's book traces the major debates about scientific explanation in the philosophy of science for the timespan of (roughy) 1948 to 1988. It's a great little guide for graduate students (or rusty faculty) interested in P of S. It does assume some familiarity with formal logic and philosophic vocabulary, so it may not be for the beginner... but Salmon's writing is clear and understandble, with a good amount of sign-posting. And, it has a very useful chronological bibliography at the back.