Ideas from 'How the Laws of Physics Lie' by Nancy Cartwright [1983], by Theme Structure
[found in 'How the Laws of Physics Lie' by Cartwright,Nancy [OUP 2002,0-19-824704-4]].
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7. Existence / E. Categories / 4. Category Realism
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16185
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Causality indicates which properties are real
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14. Science / D. Explanation / 2. Types of Explanation / a. Types of explanation
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16182
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Two main types of explanation are by causes, or by citing a theoretical framework
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14. Science / D. Explanation / 2. Types of Explanation / c. Explanations by coherence
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16184
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An explanation is a model that fits a theory and predicts the phenomenological laws
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14. Science / D. Explanation / 2. Types of Explanation / e. Lawlike explanations
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16171
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The covering law view assumes that each phenomenon has a 'right' explanation
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16167
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Laws get the facts wrong, and explanation rests on improvements and qualifications of laws
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16169
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Laws apply to separate domains, but real explanations apply to intersecting domains
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16176
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Covering-law explanation lets us explain storms by falling barometers
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16177
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I disagree with the covering-law view that there is a law to cover every single case
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16180
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You can't explain one quail's behaviour by just saying that all quails do it
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14. Science / D. Explanation / 3. Best Explanation / c. Against best explanation
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16183
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In science, best explanations have regularly turned out to be false
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26. Natural Theory / C. Causation / 8. Particular Causation / e. Probabilistic causation
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16175
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A cause won't increase the effect frequency if other causes keep interfering
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26. Natural Theory / D. Laws of Nature / 2. Types of Laws
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6781
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There are fundamental explanatory laws (false!), and phenomenological laws (regularities) [Bird]
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16166
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Laws of appearances are 'phenomenological'; laws of reality are 'theoretical'
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26. Natural Theory / D. Laws of Nature / 4. Regularities / b. Best system theory
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16179
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Good organisation may not be true, and the truth may not organise very much
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26. Natural Theory / D. Laws of Nature / 11. Against Laws of Nature
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16178
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There are few laws for when one theory meets another
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16170
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To get from facts to equations, we need a prepared descriptions suited to mathematics
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16181
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Simple laws have quite different outcomes when they act in combinations
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