TY - JOUR
T1 - The Shadows and Shallows of Explanation
AU - Wilson, Robert A.
AU - Keil, Frank
PY - 1998/1/1
Y1 - 1998/1/1
N2 - We introduce two notions - the shadows and the shallows of explanation - in opening up explanation to broader, interdisciplinary investigation. The "shadows of explanation" refer to past philosophical efforts to provide either a conceptual analysis of explanation or in some other way to pinpoint the essence of explanation. The "shallows of explanation" refer to the phenomenon of having surprisingly limited everyday, individual cognitive abilities when it comes to explanation. Explanations are ubiquitous, but they typically are not accompanied by the depth that we might, prima facie, expect. We explain the existence of the shadows and shallows of explanation in terms of there being a theoretical abyss between explanation and richer, theoretical structures that are often attributed to people. We offer an account of the shallows, in particular, both in terms of shorn-down, internal, mental machinery, and in terms of an enriched, public symbolic environment, relative to the currently dominant ways of thinking about cognition and the world.
AB - We introduce two notions - the shadows and the shallows of explanation - in opening up explanation to broader, interdisciplinary investigation. The "shadows of explanation" refer to past philosophical efforts to provide either a conceptual analysis of explanation or in some other way to pinpoint the essence of explanation. The "shallows of explanation" refer to the phenomenon of having surprisingly limited everyday, individual cognitive abilities when it comes to explanation. Explanations are ubiquitous, but they typically are not accompanied by the depth that we might, prima facie, expect. We explain the existence of the shadows and shallows of explanation in terms of there being a theoretical abyss between explanation and richer, theoretical structures that are often attributed to people. We offer an account of the shallows, in particular, both in terms of shorn-down, internal, mental machinery, and in terms of an enriched, public symbolic environment, relative to the currently dominant ways of thinking about cognition and the world.
KW - Cognitive development
KW - Concepts
KW - Division of cognitive labor
KW - Explanation
KW - Theories
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0032000242&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1023/A:1008259020140
DO - 10.1023/A:1008259020140
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0032000242
VL - 8
SP - 137
EP - 159
JO - Minds and Machines: journal for artificial intelligence, philosophy and cognitive sciences
JF - Minds and Machines: journal for artificial intelligence, philosophy and cognitive sciences
SN - 0924-6495
IS - 1
ER -