Causality and Explanation

For over two decades Wesley Salmon has helped to shape the course of debate in philosophy of science. He is a major contributor to the philosophical discussion of problems associated with causality and the author of two influential books on scientific explanation. This long-awaited volume collects twenty- six of Salmon's essays, including seven that have never before been published and others difficult to find. Part I comprises five introductory essays that presuppose no formal training in philosophy of science and form a background for subsequent essays. Parts II and III contain Salmon's seminal work on scientific explanation and causality. Part IV offers survey articles that feature advanced material but remain accessible to those outside philosophy of science. Essays in Part V address specific issues in particular scientific disciplines, namely, archaeology and anthropology, astrophysics and cosmology, and physics. Clear, compelling, and essential, this volume offers a superb introduction to philosophy of science for nonspecialists and belongs on the bookshelf of all who carry out work in this exciting field. Wesley Salmon is renowned for his seminal contributions to the philosophy of science. He has powerfully and permanently shaped discussion of such issues as lawlike and probabilistic explanation and the interrelation of explanatory notions to causal notions. This unique volume brings together twenty-six of his essays on subjects related to causality and explanation, written over the period 1971-1995. Six of the essays have never been published before and many others have only appeared in obscure venues. The volume includes a section of accessible introductory pieces, as well as more advanced and technical pieces, and will make essential work in the philosophy of science readily available to both scholars and students. For Over Two Decades Wesley Salmon Has Helped To Shape The Course Of Debate In Philosophy Of Science. He Is A Major Contributor To The Philosophical Discussion Of Problems Associated With Causality And The Author Of Two Influential Books On Scientific Explanation. This Volume Collects Twenty-six Of Salmon's Essays, Including Seven That Have Never Before Been Published And Others Difficult To Find. Pt. I. Introductory Essays: Causality, Determinism, And Explanation. 1. A New Look At Causality. 2. Determinism And Indeterminism In Modern Science. 3. Comets, Pollen, And Dreams: Some Reflections On Scientific Explanation. 4. Scientific Explanation: Causation And Unification. 5. The Importance Of Scientific Understanding Pt. Ii. Scientific Explanation. 6. A Third Dogma Of Empiricism. 7. Causal And Theoretical Explanation. 8. Why Ask, Why??: An Inquiry Concerning Scientific Explanation. 9. Deductivism Visited And Revisited. 10. Explanatory Asymmetry: A Letter To Professor Adolf Grunbaum From His Friend And Colleague. 11. Van Fraassen On Explanation / Wesley C. Salmon And Philip Kitcher Pt. Iii. Causality. 12. An At At Theory Of Causal Influence. 13. Causal Propensities: Statistical Causality Versus Aleatory Causality. 14. Probabilistic Causality. 15. Intuitions Good And Not So Good. 16. Causality Without Counterfactuals. 17. Indeterminacy, Indeterminism, And Quantum Mechanics Pt. Iv. Concise Overviews. 18. Causality: Production And Propagation. 19. Scientific Explanation: How We Got From There To Here. 20. Scientific Explanation: Three Basic Conceptions Pt. V. Applications To Other Disciplines: Archaeology And Anthropology, Astrophysics And Cosmology, And Physics. 21. Alternative Models Of Scientific Explanation / Wesley C. Salmon And Merrilee H. Salmon. 22. Causality In Archaeological Explanation. 23. Explanation In Archaeology: An Update. 24. The Formulation Of Why Questions. 25. Quasars, Causality, And Geometry: A Scientific Controversy That Did Not Occur. 26. Dreams Of A Famous Physicist: An Apology For Philosophy Of Science. Wesley C. Salmon. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 405-415) And Index. Renowned for his scholarly contributions to the philosophy of science, Salmon has collected in this volume 26 of his essays on subjects related to causality and explanation, written between 1971-1995. Six of the essays are previously unpublished