Full Idea
Summary: mechanisms depend on regularities, there may be regularities without mechanisms, models of mechanisms must incorporate pragmatic laws, and pragmatic laws do not depend epistemologically on mechanistic models.
Gist of Idea
We can show that regularities and pragmatic laws are more basic than mechanisms
Source
Bert Leuridan (Can Mechanisms Replace Laws of Nature? [2010], §1)
Book Reference
-: 'Philosophy of Science' [-], p.3
A Reaction
See Idea 14382 for 'pragmatic' laws. I'm quite keen on mechanisms, so this is an arrow close to the heart, but at this point I say that my ultimate allegiance is to powers, not to mechanisms.
Related Idea
Idea 14382 Pragmatic laws allow prediction and explanation, to the extent that reality is stable [Leuridan]