DIAGRAMS, DIFFERENCE-MAKERS, AND BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE

• Authors: Tee Sim-Hui
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

It is intriguing how scientific diagrams can facilitate scientific explanations. Philosophers argue that the difference-maker afforded in scientific diagrams can pro-vide an explanation for the phenomenon of interest. I argue that difference-maker alone is insufficient to provide a well-informed scientific explanation. I articulate that the non-depicting relevant background knowledge has a significant role to play in diagrammatic explanations. The difference-makers play the solicitor role in soliciting the relevant explanatory resources from the relevant background knowledge of the depictum. An epistemic aggregation which regiments the relevant background knowledge may provide a well-informed scientific explanation of a depicted phenomenon.

Keywords

EN

SCIENTIFIC DIAGRAMS; DIFFERENCE-MAKERS; KNOWLEDGE

• Publisher: Institute of Philosophy, Slovak Academy of Sciences
• Journal: Filozofia (Philosophy)
• Year: 2019
• Volume: 74
• Issue: 10
• Pages: 823 – 840

Contributors

author

Tee Sim-Hui

• Xiamen University Malaysia, Bandar Sunsuria, Malaysia

Identifiers

DOI

https://doi.org/10.31577/filozofia.2019.74.10.3