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Single Idea 13052

[filed under theme 14. Science / D. Explanation / 2. Types of Explanation / g. Causal explanations ]

Full Idea

Hempel explicitly rejects the idea that causality plays any essential explanatory role.

Gist of Idea

Hempel rejects causation as part of explanation

Source

report of Carl Hempel (Aspects of Scientific Explanation [1965], p.352) by Wesley Salmon - Four Decades of Scientific Explanation 1.1

Book Ref

Salmon,Wesley C.: 'Four Decades of Scientific Explanation', ed/tr. Humphreys,Paul [Pittsburgh 2006], p.24


A Reaction

Hempel champions the 'covering-law' model of explanation. It strikes me that Hempel is so utterly wrong about this that his views aren't even a candidate for correctness, but then for a long time his views were orthodoxy.


The 5 ideas from Carl Hempel

Explanatory facts also predict, and predictive facts also explain [Hempel, by Okasha]
For Hempel, explanations are deductive-nomological or probabilistic-statistical [Hempel, by Bird]
The covering-law model is for scientific explanation; historical explanation is quite different [Hempel]
Hempel rejects causation as part of explanation [Hempel, by Salmon]
Scientific explanation aims at a unifying account of underlying structures and processes [Hempel]