Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 13
Orbital Symmetry, Idealization,
and the Kairetic Account of Scientific
Explanation
Grant Fisher
13.1
Introduction
Idealization plays an important function in scientific modelling and chemistry is no
exception. Models in chemistry often distort key factors of their target systems in
order to facilitate the calculation of molecular properties, represent key aspects of
molecular dynamics, and the prediction of the stereochemical course of chemical
reactions. But the idea that idealized models
explain
their target systems poses a
significant problem. Since idealized models are literally false in crucial respects,
they don
t count as veridical explanations and hence it would seem that they fail
to legitimately “explain”. Given that idealizations are widely employed in the
sciences generally, if one accepts that explanation is a key goal of scientific inquiry
including chemistry, then something needs to be done to rehabilitate explanatory
idealization.
The focus of this chapter is Michael Strevens
'
(
2008
)
kairetic account
of scien-
tific explanation, which offers an interesting solution to the problem of explanatory
idealization. In its most general terms, Strevens claims that the scientific explana-
tion of events and regularities consists of a process of abstraction away from
detailed, veridical causal models in order to generate causal models that contain
only those factors that make a difference to the causal production of the explanatory
target. Strevens
'
approach to idealized explanatory casual models is simply to assert
that while idealizations are literally false, they distort only
non
-difference-makers.
Hence they do not misrepresent the explanatorily relevant causal factors that
'
