Difference-making and deterministic chance

Philosophical Studies 178 (7):2215-2235 (2020)
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Abstract

Why do we value higher-level scientific explanations if, ultimately, the world is physical? An attractive answer is that physical explanations often cite facts that don’t make a difference to the event in question. I claim that to properly develop this view we need to commit to a type of deterministic chance. And in doing so, we see the theoretical utility of deterministic chance, giving us reason to accept a package of views including deterministic chance.

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Harjit Bhogal
University of Maryland, College Park

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References found in this work

Depth: An Account of Scientific Explanation.Michael Strevens - 2008 - Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press.
Philosophical papers.David Kellogg Lewis - 1983 - New York: Oxford University Press.
Science, truth, and democracy.Philip Kitcher - 2001 - New York: Oxford University Press.

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