Metaphor and Scientific Explanation

Abstract

Abstract The idea that metaphors can serve an explanatory function, or that they can carry any theoretical weight, has raised the hackles of philosophers of science from Hempel onward. But there seem to be bona fide cases of explanatory metaphors in science. This chapter sketches an account of explanation, grounded in the connection between explanation and understanding. It discusses some potential arguments for this account and shows how it allows us to make sense of the idea that metaphors can explain. The chapter illustrates these ideas by looking at the case of informational metaphors in cell biology.

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