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14. Science / D. Explanation / 4. Explanation Doubts / b. Rejecting explanation

[rejection of the whole idea that we 'explain' things]

2 ideas
Men often answer inner 'whys' by treating unconscious instincts as if they were reasons [Peirce]
     Full Idea: Men many times fancy that they act from reason, when the reasons they attribute to themselves are nothing but excuses which unconscious instinct invents to satisfy the teasing 'whys' of the ego.
     From: Charles Sanders Peirce (Reasoning and the Logic of Things [1898], I)
     A reaction: A strikely modern thought, supported by a lot of modern neuro-science and psychology. It is crucial to realise that we don't have to accept the best explanation we can think of.
Any explanation will be accepted as true if it gives pleasure and a feeling of power [Nietzsche]
     Full Idea: To trace something unknown back to something known is alleviating, soothing, gratifying and gives moreover a feeling of power. ...First principle: any explanation is better than none. ...Proof by pleasure ('by potency') as criterion of truth.
     From: Friedrich Nietzsche (Twilight of the Idols [1889], 5.5)
     A reaction: By 'proof by pleasure' he means that we find an explanation so satisfying that we cling to it. I assume it is a criterion of rationality (an epistemic virtue) to reject the principle 'any explanation is better than none'. Negative capability.