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Explanation = Unification? A New Criticism of Friedman’s Theory and a Reply to an Old One

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2022

William Roche  and
Elliott Sober
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Abstract

According to Michael Friedman’s theory of explanation, a law X explains laws Y1, Y2, …, Yn precisely when X unifies the Y’s, where unification is understood in terms of reducing the number of independently acceptable laws. Philip Kitcher criticized Friedman’s theory but did not analyze the concept of independent acceptability. Here we show that Kitcher’s objection can be met by modifying an element in Friedman’s account. In addition, we argue that there are serious objections to the use that Friedman makes of the concept of independent acceptability.

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Research Article
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Philosophy of Science , Volume 84 , Issue 3 , July 2017 , pp. 391 - 413
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Copyright © The Philosophy of Science Association

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