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2 - What Constitutes an Explanation in Biology?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 September 2020

By
Angela Potochnik
Edited by
Kostas Kampourakis  and
Tobias Uller
Kostas Kampourakis
Affiliation:
Université de Genève
Tobias Uller
Affiliation:
Lunds Universitet, Sweden
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Summary

“Explaining” and “explanation” are words that tend to feature prominently in even the most basic descriptions of science. This is a big part of what science is about: generating explanations of our world (see also Chapter 3). It seems to be a big part of what biology is all about as well. Research in biology undoubtedly leads to practical applications in pursuits from medicine to agriculture to conservation, but one of its fundamental aims is to generate understanding of the living world around – and within – us.

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Chapter
Information
Philosophy of Science for Biologists , pp. 21 - 35
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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