Explanatory Reasoning in the Sciences (The Second Jerusalem-MCMP Workshop in the Philosophy of Science)
Idea and Motivation
“How does explanatory reasoning in science work?” and “what is a scientific explanation?” are central questions in the philosophy of science. This workshop explores aspects of these central questions with respect to explanatory reasoning in physics and cognitive science. In particular, the contributions to this workshop address the following questions among others: Are there non-mechanistic explanatory strategies? Are there any computational explanations? Is there non-causal explanatory reasoning? What role do ‘abstraction’ and ‘scale-invariance’ play in scientific explanations? Is there a place for (different kinds of) IBE or best-explanation arguments in the metaphysics of physics? Is it possible to develop an epistemic theory of causation underpinning causal explanatory reasoning? What role does the phenomena/data distinction play in explanatory reasoning?
Organizers
- Stephan Hartmann (MCMP/LMU Munich)
- Alexander Reutlinger (MCMP/LMU Munich)
- Orly Shenker (Edelstein Center, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
Program
Day 1 (Thursday, 23 February 2017)
Time | Event |
---|---|
09:30 - 10:00 | Gathering and Refreshments |
10:00 - 10:10 | Opening |
10:10 - 11:10 | Lotem Elber: "Different Explanations, Same Explanatory Virtue: How Non-Mechanistic Models Explain in Cognitive Science" |
11:10 - 12:10 | Dan Baras: "Why Do Certain States of Affairs Call for Explanation?" |
12:10 - 14:00 | Lunch Break |
14:00 - 15:00 | Patricia Palacios: "What Makes Scale Invariant Models Explanatory? The Case of Stock Market Crashes" |
15:00 - 16:00 | Alexander Reutlinger: "Expanding the Counterfactual Theory of Explanation" |
16:00 - 16:20 | Coffee Break |
16:20 - 17:20 | Nir Fresco: "The Indeterminacy of Computation" |
19:00 | Dinner |
Day 2 (Friday, 24 February 2017)
Time | Event |
---|---|
10:00 - 11:00 | Guy Hetzroni: "Best-Explanation Arguments in the Absolute\Relational Debate and the Reality of Potentials" |
11:00 - 12:00 | Reuben Stern: "Causation, Explanation, and Context" |
12:00 - 12:20 | Coffee Break |
12:20 - 13:20 | Pascal Ströing: "Phenomena, Evidences and Scientific Explanation" |
Afternoon tour for participants |
Practical Information
Venue
Main University Building
Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 1
D-80539 München
Room M209
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Acknowledgement
The conference is supported by The Sydney M. Edelstein Center for History and Philosophy of Science, Technology and Medicine and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation through an Alexander von Humboldt Professorship.