Scholarlink

<p>The mainstream account of scientific understanding is explanationism. According to explanationism, scientific understanding is only achieved when a subject grasps a full or partial explanation of the target phenomenon. Objectualists disagree and argue that there are instances of scientific understanding that outstrip explanatory understanding. In this paper, I advance a novel form of objectualism that I call epistemic pluralism or <span>Pluralism</span> for short. On this view, the satisfaction of any scientific epistemic concern, explanatory or not, constitutes a partial ground for understanding a phenomenon scientifically. I put pressure on explanationism by arguing that, in contrast with <span>Pluralism</span>, it faces a dilemma when it comes to account for the epistemic achievements of non-explanatory scientific research.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Animating scientific understanding

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年3月24日

查看全文
  • Alfredo Vernazzani

摘要

The mainstream account of scientific understanding is explanationism. According to explanationism, scientific understanding is only achieved when a subject grasps a full or partial explanation of the target phenomenon. Objectualists disagree and argue that there are instances of scientific understanding that outstrip explanatory understanding. In this paper, I advance a novel form of objectualism that I call epistemic pluralism or Pluralism for short. On this view, the satisfaction of any scientific epistemic concern, explanatory or not, constitutes a partial ground for understanding a phenomenon scientifically. I put pressure on explanationism by arguing that, in contrast with Pluralism, it faces a dilemma when it comes to account for the epistemic achievements of non-explanatory scientific research.