Single Idea 16808

[catalogued under 14. Science / D. Explanation / 1. Explanation / b. Aims of explanation]

Full Idea

On the 'familiarity' model of explanation, unfamiliar phenomena call for explanation, and good explanations somehow make them familiar.

Gist of Idea

An explanation is what makes the unfamiliar familiar to us

Source

Peter Lipton (Inference to the Best Explanation (2nd) [2004], 02 'Reason')

Book Reference

Lipton,Peter: 'Inference to the Best Explanation (2nd ed)' [Routledge 2004], p.24


A Reaction

Lipton notes that his encourages explanation by analogy, but that may not add to understanding. A better version is that an explanation makes a phenomenon less surprising (but that sounds rather relative and subjective).