objections to Railton’s Deductive-Nomological Model about Probabilistic Explanation

Yıl 2016, Sayı: 10, 51 - 62, 01.12.2016

Emre Arda Erdenk

Öz

In this paper, I will focus on Peter Railton (1988)’s “Deductive-Nomological Model of Probabilistic Explanation”. First, I will initiate briefly the core of the model by means of explaining the important parts that are related to the preceding discussion of the paper. Following that, I will raise objections and criticisms to the notion of parenthetic addendum, which is the most genuine and crucial component of this model of explanation. I will claim that the addendum does not explain the causal origin of the explanandum; it brings circularity to the model and it excludes the D-N inference, when it plays the function of intermediation of two explanations. Finally, it brings the problem of epistemic relativization. In the second part, I will introduce two counterexamples to the model. The first one will show that in cases of intervening causes, explanations in this model fail to be explanatorily relevant. The second one will attack to the notion of ideal D-N-P text by claiming that it fails to contain all the necessary items of explanation in cases of instabilities. Ultimately, all these objections and criticisms will show that Railton’s model faces many problems which makes it difficult to be considered as being a powerful model of singular propensity explanations

Anahtar Kelimeler

Scientific Explanation, Deductive Nomological Model, Hempel, Singular

Railton’un Olasılık Açıklamalarına Dair Dedüktif-Nomolojik Modeline İtirazlar

Öz

Bu makalede Peter Railton (1988)’un “Olasılık Açıklamalarına dair Dedüktif-Nomolojik Model’ine odaklanacağım. İlk olarak makalenin ilerleyen tartışmaları için gerekli olan, modele dair önemli kısımları ortaya koyacağım. Buna müteakip, modelin en orijinal ve kritik parçası olan parantez eklentisi kavrayışına dair itiraz ve eleştirilerden bahsedeceğim. Eklentinin açıklanaDört Öge-Yıl 5-Sayı 10-Ekim 2016

Anahtar Kelimeler

Bilimsel Açıklama, Dedüktif-Nomolojik Model, Hempel, Tekil eğilimli istatistiksel olaylar, Belirlenmezcilik, Bilim Felsefesi

Kaynakça

• Batterman, W. R. (1992). Explanatory Instability. Noûs 26, 325-348.
• Everett, H. (1957). “Relative State” Formulation of Quantum Mechanics. Reviews of Mod- ern Physics, 29 (3), 454-462.
• Gluck, S. & Gimbel, S. (1997). An Intervening Cause Counterexample to Railton’s DNP Model of Explanation. Philosophy of Science 64, 692-697.
• Griffiths, R. B. (1984). Consistent Histories and the Interpretation of Quantum Mechan- ics. Journal of Statistical Physics, 36, 219–272.
• Hempel, G. C. & Oppenheim:(1948). Studies in the Logic of Explanation. Philosophy of Science, 15 (2), 135-175.
• Hempel, G. C. (1965). Aspects of Scientific Explanation and Other Essays. New York, NY: Free Press.
• Howard, D. (2004). Who Invented the “Copenhangen Interpretation”? A Study in Mythol- ogy. Philosophy of Science, 71, 669-682.
• Kitcher:& Salmon, C. W. (Eds.) (1989). Scientific Explanation. University of Minnesota Press, MA: Minneapolis.
• Lucas, G. J. (1985). The Explanation of Unlikely Events. Southwest Philosophical Studies 9, 49-55.
• Railton:(1981). Probability, Explanation, and Information. Synthese, 48, 233-256.
• Railton:(1988). A Deductive-Nomological Model of Probabilistic Explanation. Joseph C. Pitt (Ed.), in Theories of Explanation (pp. 119-135). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. First published in Philosophy of Science 45(1978), 206-22