back to ideas for this text


Single Idea 4404

[from 'Causation and Explanation' by Stathis Psillos, in 14. Science / D. Explanation / 4. Explanation Doubts / a. Explanation as pragmatic ]

Full Idea

Some philosophers focus on the so-called 'pragmatics of explanation' - that an explanation is an answer to a 'why' question, and the relevant answer will depend on the presuppositions or interests of the questioner.

Clarification

Pragmatics concern how things actually work

Gist of Idea

Maybe explanation is entirely relative to the interests and presuppositions of the questioner

Source

Stathis Psillos (Causation and Explanation [2002], Intro)

Book Reference

Psillos,Stathis: 'Causation and Explanation' [Acumen 2002], p.16


A Reaction

This seems to me right. Explanation is an entirely human business, not a feature of nature, and most explanations will track back to the big bang if you have the patience, but they always terminate because of pragmatic considerations. But fobbing off?