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The Quarrel About Historical Explanation - Online Term Paper

The Quarrel About Historical Explanation

The discussion of the philosophical question of historical explanation
is in reality a disagreement concerning the nature of the philosophic method.
There are primarily two sides taken in this argument, those who agree
with Carl Hempel and those that do not.
According to Hempel a historical event is only sufficiently explained
when it logically fits a set of confirmed pre-existing conditions along with
some universal laws.
Certainly all things cannot easily be assigned to rules and laws.
Political coups, assassinations and revolutions are too complex for such a rigid
explanation. And who is to say what perquisites there are for situations.
Certainly there is no one who can predict ...

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is adequate if all he can provide is a
sketch. The second group states that the general laws are not necessary and as
long as the explanation provides an understandable narrative, it is complete.
The final group believes that only one condition is necessary, and if more
information is needed, one only needs to elaborate on that one condition.
The Hempelians and the anti-Hempelians both have common ground. They
are both engaged in the philosophy of history, but this is where the agreement
stops for even the groups starting points are different.
Hempelians give their explanations to answer the question of why
something happened. Their objective is to replace curiosity with understanding.
For this to happen both the laws and general rules given must logically agree.
In other words you must be able to deduce the answer after given the laws and
rules.
It would not be enough for a Hempelian to hear that conditions led up to
an event. He must know himself that these ...

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The Quarrel About Historical Explanation. (2007, February 14). Retrieved January 18, 2026, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Quarrel-About-Historical-Explanation/60294

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 2/14/2007 10:26:50 AM
Category: Miscellaneous
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 619
Pages: 3

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