Full Idea
The 'inferential' conception of scientific explanation is the thesis that all legitimate scientific explanations are arguments of one sort or another.
Gist of Idea
The 'inferential' conception is that all scientific explanations are arguments
Source
Wesley Salmon (Four Decades of Scientific Explanation [1989], 1.1)
Book Reference
Salmon,Wesley C.: 'Four Decades of Scientific Explanation', ed/tr. Humphreys,Paul [Pittsburgh 2006], p.24
A Reaction
This seems to imply that someone has to be persuaded of something, and hence seems a rather too pragmatic view. I presume an explanation might be no more than dumbly pointing at conclusive evidence of a cause. Man with smoking gun.