Causes, natural laws and scientific explanations

Abstract

In recent years, the issue of scientific explanation has been approached from conflictingpositions which suggest promising avenues of «negotiation» amongst ideas that until recentlyseemed incompatible. One prominent case along these lines is Wesley Salmon’s position,in the sense of accepting as «complementary» as opposed to «excluding» first theconception of explanation as unification, and secondly the mechanical-causal conception,previously upheld as unique and excluding by Salmon himself. I shall try to explain ideasthat do not attempt to «break» the «armistice» to which I just referred, but to object topart of the mechanical-causal conception. My objection is not an attempt to deny thistype of explanation, rather to highlight doubts about part of the mechanical-causal foundation,suggesting instead a foundation based only on scientific facts and laws.