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Full Idea
An acceptable explanation must have some unifying power.
Gist of Idea
Good explanations unify
Source
Brian Ellis (Scientific Essentialism [2001], 3.11)
Book Ref
Ellis,Brian: 'Scientific Essentialism' [CUP 2007], p.132
A Reaction
There is a tension here, between the particular and the general. If I say 'why did the building collapse' and you say 'gravity', you have certainly got a unifying explanation, but we want something narrower.