Towards a Universal Account of Asymmetry in Non-causal Explanations

Year, pages: 2021, 407 - 422

In this paper, I provide a conceptual analysis of the issue of asymmetry in noncausal explanations. I aim to fulfill three sub-tasks: 1) To define a conceptual space for problem solving (Cf. Reutlinger and Saatsi 2018; Lange 2017); 2) To reflect ongoing debates (Cf. Jansson and Saatsi 2019; Lange 2019; Khalifa et al. 2018); 3) To reflect a model of topological explanation (Cf. Kostić 2020). I focus only on non-causal explanations in the context of scientific research. I formulate several counter-arguments against distinctively mathematical explanations. I reflect the ongoing debate on the question of the universal applicability of a counterfactual solution to the problem of asymmetry for both causal and non-causal explanations (Cf. Woodward 2018). I reveal that none of the approaches discussed is without problems and that the proposed solutions to them are unsatisfactory. I consider the model of topological explanation in Kostić's view to be the most cogent solution to the discussed problem. His model successfully incorporates a counterfactual approach and also offers a solution to the problem of explanation asymmetry in non-causal explanations from a pragmatic point of view.

Zámečník, L. 2021. Towards a Universal Account of Asymmetry in Non-causal Explanations. In Filozofia, vol. 76, no.6, pp. 407-422. 0046-385X. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31577/filozofia.2021.76.6.2

Zámečník, L. (2021). Towards a Universal Account of Asymmetry in Non-causal Explanations. Filozofia, 76(6), 407-422. 0046-385X. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31577/filozofia.2021.76.6.2

Publisher: Filozofický ústav SAV

Toto dielo je licencované pod Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License