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Single Idea 16167

[filed under theme 14. Science / D. Explanation / 2. Types of Explanation / e. Lawlike explanations ]

Full Idea

We explain by ceteris paribus laws, by composition of causes, and by approximations that improve on what the fundamental laws dictate. In all of these cases the fundamental laws patently do not get the facts right.

Gist of Idea

Laws get the facts wrong, and explanation rests on improvements and qualifications of laws

Source

Nancy Cartwright (How the Laws of Physics Lie [1983], Intro)

Book Ref

Cartwright,Nancy: 'How the Laws of Physics Lie' [OUP 2002], p.3

A Reaction

It is rather headline-grabbing to say in this case that laws do not get the facts right. If they were actually 'wrong' and 'lied', there wouldn't be much point in building explanations on them.

The 17 ideas from 'How the Laws of Physics Lie'

6781 There are fundamental explanatory laws (false!), and phenomenological laws (regularities) [Cartwright,N, by Bird]
16166 Laws of appearances are 'phenomenological'; laws of reality are 'theoretical' [Cartwright,N]
16170 To get from facts to equations, we need a prepared descriptions suited to mathematics [Cartwright,N]
16167 Laws get the facts wrong, and explanation rests on improvements and qualifications of laws [Cartwright,N]
16169 Laws apply to separate domains, but real explanations apply to intersecting domains [Cartwright,N]
16171 The covering law view assumes that each phenomenon has a 'right' explanation [Cartwright,N]
16175 A cause won't increase the effect frequency if other causes keep interfering [Cartwright,N]
16176 Covering-law explanation lets us explain storms by falling barometers [Cartwright,N]
16177 I disagree with the covering-law view that there is a law to cover every single case [Cartwright,N]
16178 There are few laws for when one theory meets another [Cartwright,N]
16179 Good organisation may not be true, and the truth may not organise very much [Cartwright,N]
16180 You can't explain one quail's behaviour by just saying that all quails do it [Cartwright,N]
16181 Simple laws have quite different outcomes when they act in combinations [Cartwright,N]
16182 Two main types of explanation are by causes, or by citing a theoretical framework [Cartwright,N]
16183 In science, best explanations have regularly turned out to be false [Cartwright,N]
16184 An explanation is a model that fits a theory and predicts the phenomenological laws [Cartwright,N]
16185 Causality indicates which properties are real [Cartwright,N]