The Quarrel About Historical Explanation
The Quarrel About Historical Explanation
The discussion of the philosophical question of historical explanation
is in reality a disagreement concerning the nature of the philosophic method.
There are primarily two sides taken in this argument, those who agree
with Carl Hempel and those that do not.
According to Hempel a historical event is only sufficiently explained
when it logically fits a set of confirmed pre-existing conditions along with
some universal laws.
Certainly all things cannot easily be assigned to rules and laws.
Political coups, assassinations and revolutions are too complex for such a rigid
explanation. And who is to say what perquisites there are for situations.
Certainly there is no one who can predict every instance of a given event, there
are just too many variables.
Hempel then notes that Historians are seldom able to stick to his
procedure and at best can only make an explanation sketch. Hempel seems to be
saying then, that the majority of......
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Approximate Word Count: 586
Approximate Pages: 3 (250 words per double-spaced page)
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