Explanations : styles of explanation in science

Scientists often talk about the search for meaning, and about explanations that can make sense of the universe. But what do we mean by this, and what information do thse explanations give us? In Explanations, eminent philosophers and scientists from a wide variety of backgrounds address this problem, to provoke and inspire reflection on how and why we explain things the way we do.

Our lives, states of health, relationships, behaviour, experiences of the natural world, and the technologies that shape our contemporary existence are subject to a superfluity of competing, multi-faceted and sometimes incompatible explanations. Widespread confusion about the nature of ''explanation'' and its scope and limits pervades popular exposition of the natural sciences, popular history and philosophy of science. This fascinating and intriguing book explores the way explanations work, why they vary between disciplines, periods, and cultures, and whether they have any necessary boundaries. In other words, Explanations aims to achieve a better understanding of explanation, both within the sciences and the humanities. It features contributions from expert writers from a wide range of disciplines, including science, philosophy, mathematics, and social anthropology.