Article outline

• 8.1The scientist vs. the organism
• 8.2Reductionist extremes in the philosophy of science
  • 8.2.1Preamble
  • 8.2.2Deductivist accounts
  • 8.2.3Inductivist accounts
• 8.3Pragmatics in empirical science
  • 8.3.1Preamble
  • 8.3.2Theory-laden facts
  • 8.3.3Abductive inference
  • 8.3.4Role of the three inference types in the empirical cycle
• 8.4Explanation as contextual coherence
  • 8.4.1Deductive ‘explanations’
  • 8.4.2The pragmatics of explanation
• 8.5Causal explanation
  • 8.5.1Preamble
  • 8.5.2The ontology of causation
    • 8.5.2.1From temporal order to logical conditionality
    • 8.5.2.2From conditionality to causality
    • 8.5.2.3From causality to agency
    • 8.5.2.4Volitional motion, purposive action and agency
• 8.6Functional explanation
• 8.7Closure
• Acknowledgements
• Notes