Explanatory Fictions and Fictional Explanations Sorin Bangu Univ. of Bergen Sorin.Bangu@fof.uib.no
Can fictions explain? - question of perennial interest “one of the main and most controversial roles that fictional assumptions may play” (Suarez 2009, 7) Fictionalism - Vaihinger 1920s - Van Fraassen 1980s (phil of math: H. Field 1980s) - A. Fine 1990s M. Suarez 2000s: 2009 Bokulich, Elgin, Winsberg, Morrison, etc.: - scientists seem fine with a ‘yes’ answer 2
Can fictions explain? - question of perennial interest “one of the main and most controversial roles that fictional assumptions may play” (Suarez 2009, 7) Fictionalism - Vaihinger 1920s - Van Fraassen 1980s (phil of math: H. Field 1980s) - A. Fine 1990s M. Suarez 2000s: 2009 Bokulich, Elgin, Winsberg, Morrison, etc.: - scientists seem fine with a ‘yes’ answer 3
Can fictions explain? • No: Vaihinger [Hempel , Salmon,…] • Yes: Bokulich , Elgin… [2009 ] Cautious ‘yes’: in what circumstances (new) Account: two steps 1. fiction al explanations 2. fictional explanations ≈ (genuine) explanations fictions fictional explanations (genuine) explanations role in should be accepted as 2 nd part: case study; phase transitions in thermodynamics and SM 4
Can fictions explain? No 5
Can fictions explain? No If SC doesn’t exist, then how is it that there are gifts under the three ? Explanation :: Understanding 6
Can fictions explain? No If vortices don’t exist, then how is it that the Moon moves ? Explanation :: Understanding 7
Can fictions explain? No. Because falsehoods don’t explain! If the EXPLANANS are false / fictions, then how is it that the EXPLANANDUM holds / is true? Explanation :: Understanding 8
Can fictions explain? No. Because falsehoods don’t explain! total falsehoods: gross ‘cancellation effect’ Russell syllogism bread is stone / milk stone / milk is nourishing bread is nourishing If the EXPLANANS are false / fictions, then how is it that the EXPLANANDUM holds / is true? Explanation :: Understanding 9
Can fictions explain? No. Because falsehoods don’t explain! idealizations / approximations partial falsehoods: subtle ‘cancellation effect’ total falsehoods: gross ‘cancellation effect’ Scientific modeling Russell syllogism false / idealized explanans bread is stone / milk stone / milk is nourishing true explanandum bread is nourishing If the EXPLANANS are false / fictions, then how is it that the EXPLANANDUM holds / is true? Explanation :: Understanding 10
Can fictions explain? No. Because falsehoods don’t explain! idealizations / approximations partial falsehoods: subtle ‘cancellation effect’ total falsehoods: gross ‘cancellation effect’ Scientific modeling Russell syllogism false / idealized explanans bread is stone / milk stone / milk is nourishing true explanandum bread is nourishing If the EXPLANANS are false / fictions, then how is it that the EXPLANANDUM holds / is true? Explanation :: Understanding 11
Can fictions explain? No. Because falsehoods don’t explain! idealizations / approximations ‘Concerned’ v. ‘unconcerned’ with the truth partial falsehoods: subtle ‘cancellation effect’ total falsehoods: gross ‘cancellation effect’ [Winsberg 2009] Scientific modeling Russell syllogism false / idealized explanans bread is stone / milk stone / milk is nourishing true explanandum bread is nourishing If the EXPLANANS are false / fictions, then how is it that the EXPLANANDUM holds / is true? Explanation :: Understanding 12
Can fictions explain? No. Because falsehoods don’t explain! idealizations / approximations ‘Concerned’ v. ‘unconcerned’ with the truth partial falsehoods: subtle ‘cancellation effect’ total falsehoods: gross ‘cancellation effect’ [Winsberg 2009] Scientific modeling Russell syllogism false / idealized explanans bread is stone / milk stone / milk is nourishing true explanandum bread is nourishing If the EXPLANANS are false / fictions, then how is it Hempel: no explanation that the EXPLANANDUM holds / is true? Salmon: no explanation Explanation :: Understanding 13
Can fictions explain? No. Because falsehoods don’t explain! Hempel Salmon Explananas (L + IC) • Fictional entities and fictional processes do not Explanandum meet the requirements of genuine physical processes Four conditions for an capable of transmitting a explanation mark. … 2. “ empirical condition of • fiction F cannot be the adequacy ” = the sentences cause of some phenomenon constituting the explanans must P — and hence explain P — if be true (1965, 248) … F does not exist. 14
Can fictions explain? No. Because falsehoods don’t explain! Hempel Salmon Explananas (L + IC) • Fictional entities and fictional processes do not Explanandum meet the requirements of genuine physical processes Four conditions for an capable of transmitting a explanation mark. … 2. “ empirical condition of • fiction F cannot be the adequacy ” = the sentences cause of some phenomenon constituting the explanans must P — and hence explain P — if be true (1965, 248) … F does not exist. Woodward, Strevens, etc. 15
Can fictions explain? No. Because falsehoods don’t explain! H. Vaihinger (1924). The philosophy of ‘as if’ (C. K. Ogden, Trans.). London: Kegan Paul. (Original work published 1911) Explanation involving fictions Understanding • “… the fiction induces only an illusion of understanding” (p. xv ) • “[F] iction (…) does not create real knowledge” (p. 88) 16
A diagnostic The Main Problem true explananda false / fictional explanans 17
A diagnostic The Main Problem true explananda false / fictional explanans Solution: Fictional content is eliminable dispensable, etc. 18
A role for fictions in explanation Key-question: can fictions explain? why / when do scientists accept explanations in which the fictional content of the explanans is (seems) ineliminable ? starting point: the explanandum has fictional content too - this situation manifests in a variety of ways - not always explicit - some clear example later 19
A role for fictions in explanation Key-question: can fictions explain? why / when do scientists accept explanations in which the fictional content of the explanans is (seems) ineliminable ? starting point: the explanandum has fictional content too - this situation manifests in a variety of ways - not always explicit - a clear example in 2 nd part 20
A role for fictions in explanation • indirect, two steps 1. Fiction al explanation 2. (Good) fictional explanation genuine explanation Fictional explanation 21
A role for fictions in explanation Fictional explanations • Cases when both the explanans and the explananda involve fictions explananda too involve fictions Explananda = ? ‘Phenomena’ – the Woodward & Bogen sense Data v. phenomena - ‘constructed’ out of measurement data - ’shaped’ into such as to be invariant phenomena - not out there , but posited ‘fictional’ Bogen, J., and J. Woodward (1988) 22 Saving the phenomena The Philosophical Review 97: 303-352.
A role for fictions in explanation Fictional explanations • Cases when both the explanans and the explananda involve fictions explananda too involve fictions Explananda = ? ‘Phenomena’ – the Woodward & Bogen sense Data v. phenomena Data Phenomena ‘Shaped’ into ‘Constructed’ from data (such as to be invariant) - ‘constructed’ out of measurement data phenomena Not out there , but posited - ’shaped’ into such as to be invariant “phenomena (…) cannot be reported by phenomena - not out there , but posited ‘fictional’ observational claims.” (p. 343, 306). Fictions (concerned with the truth) Bogen, J., and J. Woodward (1988) 23 Saving the phenomena The Philosophical Review 97: 303-352.
Can fictions explain? Key-question A: why / when do scientists - When the explananda are accept explanations in ‘phenomena’ = also have which the fictional content ineliminable fictional of the explanans seems (is) content. ineliminable ? - So not a worrisome case of [false true] Fictionalist principle ‘fictions in the explananda allow fictions in the explanans ’ 24
Can fictions explain? Key-question A: why / when do scientists - When the explananda are accept explanations in ‘phenomena’ = also have which the fictional content ineliminable fictional of the explanans seems (is) content. ineliminable ? - So not a worrisome case of [false true] Fictionalist principle ‘fictions in the explananda Monopoly principle allow fictions in the ‘buy fictional property with explanans ’ fictional money’ 25
Can fictions explain? true explananda [phenomena] fictional/false explanans 26
Can fictions explain? fictional/false explananda true explananda [‘phenomena’] [phenomena] fictional/false explanans fictional/false explanans 27
Can fictions explain? fictional/false explananda true explananda [‘phenomena’] [phenomena] fictional explanation fictional/false explanans fictional/false explanans 28
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