This 2001 book offers an examination of functional explanation as
it is used in biology and the social sciences, and focuses on the
kinds of philosophical presuppositions that such explanations carry
with them. It tackles such questions as: why are some things
explained functionally while others are not? What do the functional
explanations tell us about how these objects are conceptualized?
What do we commit ourselves to when we give and take functional
explanations in the life sciences and the social sciences?
McLaughlin gives a critical review of the debate on functional
explanation in the philosophy of science. He discusses the history
of the philosophical question of teleology, and provides a
comprehensive review of the post-war literature on functional
explanation. What Functions Explain provides a sophisticated and
detailed Aristotelian analysis of our concept of natural functions,
and offers a positive contribution to the ongoing debate on the
topic.
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