Conference ‘Explanation and Understanding in Philosophy and Science’

As part of the series ‘Philosophy and Science’, a three-day conference titled ‘Explanation and Understanding in Philosophy and Science’ opens at the SASA Grand Hall, on Tuesday, 5 December, at 10 a.m.

The difference between explanation and understanding, which goes back to the 19^th century, is still at the centre of the philosophical reckoning of scientific findings. It is based on the assumption that natural and social sciences and humanities employ two basically different methodological approaches, as well as on the idea that natural and social phenomena are governed by different rules. Explanations of natural phenomena are based on observations and experimental insights into relevant phenomena, while social phenomena and their rules can be understood only on the basis of indirect observations since they are the result of unobtainable introspective mental states of social factors. Differentiation between explanation and understanding also builds on the traditional division between ‘Aristotelian’ and ‘Galilean’ explanations – the difference between the theological (finality) and mechanistic (causality) explanation. Generally speaking, Aristotelian tradition brings up the question of ‘Why’, while the Galilean tradition tackles the question of ‘How?’ These two concepts determine the goal of the study of relevant phenomena in different manners: the first, based on explanations of goals concerning the cause-and-effect relationship and their prediction, while the aim of the second one is to explicate already observed facts and regularities on social subjects in light of their basically hidden introspective states. This division of explanation per ‘traditions’ is a convenient starting point for discussion on how knowledge, philosophy and science truly function. However, the vital philosophical issue is whether and to what extent both these concepts are adaptable to natural and social phenomena. It is possible that in all fields there are elements of both traditions, but that they are frequently unspecific. Detection of these links is a part of philosophical analysis and will be the main topic of the conference.

A live stream is available at https://www.sanu.ac.rs/en/live-streaming/