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Reasons, Causes, and Empathetic Understanding

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 February 2022

J.K. Derden Jr.
J.K. Derden Jr.*
Affiliation:
Humboldt State University
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Extract

The dispute concerning whether reasons are causes and related controversies continue unabated. The conflict manifests itself in various ways. Reasons are not causes: because reasons are not logically independent of actions; because no inductive evidence is required for establishing a reason for why I do something; and because no generalizations are required to explain why someone does something on the basis of reasons. It is also maintained that historical explanation is not explanation by appeal to covering laws and that empathetic understanding is more than an heuristic device for generating hypotheses to explain why people do what they do. It is further maintained that the social sciences are on the wrong track if they see themselves as more akin to the natural sciences, as opposed to philosophy (conceptual analysis) and the humanities.

The amazing fact is that the contradictory of each of the above stated positions has been seriously maintained.

Type
Part V. Explanation
Information
PSA: Proceedings of the Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association , Volume 1978 , Issue 1: Volume One: Contributed Papers 1978 , 1978 , pp. 176 - 185
Copyright
Copyright © 1978 by the Philosophy of Science Association

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References

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