Full Idea
Explanations can be classified as causal, nomic, psychological, psychoanalytic, Darwinian and functional.
Clarification
'Nomic' explanations involve the laws of nature
Gist of Idea
Explanations are causal, nomic, psychological, psychoanalytic, Darwinian or functional
Source
Alexander Bird (Philosophy of Science [1998], Ch.2)
Book Reference
Bird,Alexander: 'Philosophy of Science' [UCL Press 2000], p.62
A Reaction
These could be subdivided, perhaps according to different types of cause. Personally, being a reductionist (like David Lewis, see Idea 3989), I suspect that all of these explanations could be reduced to causation. Essences explain causes.
Related Idea
Idea 3989 I am a reductionist about mind because I am an a priori reductionist about everything [Lewis]