Wolff and Kant on Scientific Demonstration and Mechanical Explanation

Wolff and Kant on Scientific Demonstration and Mechanical Explanation. van den Berg, H. Archiv für Geschichte der Philosophie, 95(2):178–205, 2013.

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This paper analyzes Immanuel Kant’s views on mechanical explanation on the basis of Christian Wolff’s idea of scientific demonstration. Kant takes mechanical explanations to explain properties of wholes in terms of their parts. I reconstruct the nature of such explanations by showing how part-whole conceptualizations in Wolff’s logic and metaphysics shape the ideal of a proper and explanatory scientific demonstration. This logico-philosophical background elucidates why Kant construes mechanical explanations as ideal explanations of nature.

@article{van_den_berg_wolff_2013,
	title = {Wolff and {Kant} on {Scientific} {Demonstration} and {Mechanical} {Explanation}},
	volume = {95},
	url = {http://www.degruyter.com/view/j/agph.2013.95.issue-2/agph-2013-0008/agph-2013-0008.xml},
	abstract = {This paper analyzes Immanuel Kant’s views on mechanical explanation on the basis of Christian Wolff’s idea of scientific demonstration. Kant takes mechanical explanations to explain properties of wholes in terms of their parts. I reconstruct the nature of such explanations by showing how part-whole conceptualizations in Wolff’s logic and metaphysics shape the ideal of a proper and explanatory scientific demonstration. This logico-philosophical background elucidates why Kant construes mechanical explanations as ideal explanations of nature.},
	number = {2},
	journal = {Archiv für Geschichte der Philosophie},
	author = {van den Berg, Hein},
	year = {2013},
	pages = {178--205},
}

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