Bradley, DJ (2020) Should Explanations Omit the Details? British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, 71 (3). pp. 827-853. ISSN 0007-0882
Abstract
There is a widely shared belief that the higher level sciences can provide better explanations than lower level sciences. But there is little agreement about exactly why this is so. It is often suggested that higher level explanations are better because they omit details. I will argue instead that the preference for higher level explanations is just a special case of our general preference for informative, logically strong, beliefs. I argue that our preference for informative beliefs entirely accounts for why higher level explanations are sometimes better – and sometimes worse – than lower level explanations. The result is a step in the direction of the unity of science hypothesis.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of British Society for the Philosophy of Science. This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science following peer review. The version of record Bradley, DJ (2018) Should Explanations Omit the Details? British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, Volume 71, Issue 3, September 2020, Pages 827–853 is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1093/bjps/axy033 |
Keywords: | Explanation; Reduction; Theoretical virtues |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (Leeds) > School of Philosophy, Religion and History of Science (Leeds) > School of Philosophy (Leeds) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number EU - European Union 656441 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 02 Jan 2018 11:34 |
Last Modified: | 07 May 2024 14:46 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Oxford University Press |
Identification Number: | 10.1093/bjps/axy033 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:125496 |