more from 'Explanation: the state of play' by Michael Stanford

Single Idea 12314

[catalogued under 14. Science / D. Explanation / 1. Explanation / b. Aims of explanation]

Full Idea

Rather than an 'interest-relative' notion of explanation (Putnam), it can be informational content which makes an explanation, which is an 'audience-invariant' contraint, which is not pragmatic, but mainly epistemological and also partly metaphysical.

Gist of Idea

Audience-relative explanation, or metaphysical explanation based on information?

Source

Michael Stanford (Explanation: the state of play [1991], p.172)

Book Reference

'Cogito Magazine 05/3', ed/tr. Pyle,Andrew [Carfax 1991], p.172


A Reaction

[compressed summary of Ruben 1990] Examples given are that Rome burning explains Nero fiddling, even if no one ever says so, and learning that George III had porphyria explains his madness.