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social science subjects > social research > philosophy and the social sciences > philosophy of science > causal explanation in philosophy of science
... > social science subjects > business and management > organization studies > organization studies encyc > philosophy of organizations > philosophy of science > causal explanation in philosophy of science
... > social science subjects > sociology > anthropology > research/theoretical frameworks > philosophy of science > causal explanation in philosophy of science

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causal explanation in philosophy of science  

Definition

  • The truism that scientific inquiry aims not merely to describe phenomena but to explain them gives rise to one of the central questions of philosophy of science: What makes some claims about some phenomenon count as a scientific explanation of that phenomenon? Since at least the late 1970s, the dominant approach has endorsed this answer: Explanatory claims must provide information about the causes of the given phenomenon. Here, we'll look at some motivations, challenges, and open questions for this approach. [Source: Encyclopedia of Philosophy and the Social Sciences; Causal Explanation, in Philosophy of Science]

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https://concepts.sagepub.com/social-science/concept/causal_explanation_in_philosophy_of_science

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