UNDERSTANDING WITHOUT EXPLANATION: ON THE IMPORTANCE OF ONE DISCUSSION
Aleksandr Anatolyevich Shevchenko
Institute of Philosophy and Law, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 8 Nikolaeva str., Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia
Keywords: explanatory models, propositional knowledge, causality, rationality, subject of understanding, intellectual virtues
Abstract
The article considers some possible correlations of two of the key concepts in the philosophy of science and contemporary epistemology - those of understanding and explanation. Special attention is paid to an attempt of a number of modern researchers to justify alternative ways to get understanding, which are not based on standard explanatory models. The most promising contexts for this kind of work are highlighted. The author gives proof of the advantages of this approach, especially when working with objects and processes influenced by a complex network of causal forces, as well as in practical problem-solving contexts where understanding is not propositional but is a matter of skill.
|
