Single Idea 7139

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

Full Idea

Showing the succession of things ever more clearly is what's named 'explanation': no more than that!

Gist of Idea

Explanation is just showing the succession of things ever more clearly

Source

Friedrich Nietzsche (Writings from Late Notebooks [1887], 35[52])

Book Reference

Nietzsche,Friedrich: 'Writings from the Late Notebooks', ed/tr. Bittner,Rüdiger [CUP 2003], p.21


A Reaction

If you lay bare all causal sequences, you may not have explained anything until you have pointed out a pattern in the events. Explanations must partly depend on the interests of the enquirer, so pure catalogues of events won't do.