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A 5 page paper that begins with general comments about models or explanation. The writer describes and discuses Hempel and Oppenheim's deductive-nomological model of scientific explanation and the causal model of explanation. Some of the criticisms levied against each model are mentioned. Bibliography lists 5 sources.
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5 pages (~225 words per page)
File: MM12_PGmdexp.rtf
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the cause before they can explain an phenomenon or event (Mayes, 2005). However, during the 20th century, there was greater emphasis on the philosophy of science and with that came
a more rigorous analysis of the concept of explanation (Mayes, 2005). That analysis has resulted in philosophers of science having to change their minds, or, at least consider different ideas.
Empiricists who have always rejected what could not be observed have had to open their minds a bit about what could not be seen, e.g., atoms and genes, because other
theorists were producing revolutionary results in this field (Mayes, 2005). Theories of explanation treat explanations in either realist or anti-realist (epistemic) sense (Mayes, 2005). The realist advocates the actual existence
of an entity or process in a more or less literal sense while an advocate that adheres to an epistemic interpretation believes that a process may not exist in a
literal sense (Mayes, 2005). Carl Gustav Hempel, a German philosopher who lived and worked in different countries, eventually immigrated to the United States permanently (Murzi, 2008). During that time,
he also changed his mind about explanation and eventually, with Paul Oppenheim, designed, developed and presented a deductive-nomological model of scientific explanation (Murzi, 2008). This model is quantitative and deductive
and is on the same level as logical models in terms of making predictions (Murzi, 2008). One cannot understand Hempel and Oppenheims deductive-nomological model of scientific explanation without
understanding the terms that are used in the model. They say that the scientific explanation of any fact is a deduction of a statement, which they call the explanandum (Murzi,
2008). So, the explanandum is what we want to explain and the explanans refers to the premises that are the scientific laws (Murzi, 2008). An explanation can only be true
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