Document Type

Article

Abstract

We provide an explicit taxonomy of legitimate kinds of abstraction within constitutive explanation. We argue that abstraction is an inherent aspect of adequate mechanistic explanation. Mechanistic explanations—even ideally complete ones—typically involve many kinds of abstraction and therefore do not require maximal detail. Some kinds of abstraction play the ontic role of identifying the specific complex components, subsets of causal powers, and organizational relations that produce a suitably general phenomenon. Therefore, abstract constitutive explanations are both legitimate and mechanistic.

Publication Date

1-1-2016

Publication Title

Philosophy of Science

Volume

83

Issue

5

First Page

686

Last Page

697

Comments

© 2016 by Boone

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1086/687855

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