Theories of Explanation

Since the publication of Carl Hempel and Paul Oppenheim's pioneering work Studies in the Logic of Explanation, the theory of explanation has remained a major topic in the philosophy of science. This volume makes available some of the classic essays on the theory of explanation along with the best examples of the most recent work on the subject. In addition to the original Hempel and Oppenheim paper, the book includes Scriven's critical reaction to it, Wilfrid Sellars's discussion of the problem of theoretical explanation, and pieces by Salmon, Railton, van Fraasen, Friedman, Kitcher, and Achinstein which extend the scope of the discussion.