Ideas from 'Explanation - Opening Address' by J.J.C. Smart [1990], by Theme Structure
[found in 'Explanation and Its Limits' (ed/tr Knowles,Dudley) [CUP 1990,0-521-39598-4]].
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2. Reason / A. Nature of Reason / 6. Coherence
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Coherence is consilience, simplicity, analogy, and fitting into a web of belief
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We need comprehensiveness, as well as self-coherence
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13. Knowledge Criteria / B. Internal Justification / 3. Evidentialism / a. Evidence
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I simply reject evidence, if it is totally contrary to my web of belief
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14. Science / D. Explanation / 1. Explanation / c. Direction of explanation
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The height of a flagpole could be fixed by its angle of shadow, but that would be very unusual
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Universe expansion explains the red shift, but not vice versa
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14. Science / D. Explanation / 2. Types of Explanation / c. Explanations by coherence
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Explanations are bad by fitting badly with a web of beliefs, or fitting well into a bad web
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Deducing from laws is one possible way to achieve a coherent explanation
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Explanation of a fact is fitting it into a system of beliefs
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14. Science / D. Explanation / 2. Types of Explanation / d. Consilience
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An explanation is better if it also explains phenomena from a different field
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14. Science / D. Explanation / 2. Types of Explanation / g. Causal explanations
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If scientific explanation is causal, that rules out mathematical explanation
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14. Science / D. Explanation / 2. Types of Explanation / j. Explanations by reduction
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Scientific explanation tends to reduce things to the unfamiliar (not the familiar)
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27. Natural Reality / B. Modern Physics / 1. Relativity / b. General relativity
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Unlike Newton, Einstein's general theory explains the perihelion of Mercury
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