Causal Explanation in Historiography

The book discusses recent developments in philosophy with regards to how historical events can be explained causally and introduces perspectives from the philosophy of science into the philosophy of history. The book covers the main approaches to causal explanation in history and makes clear the main issues and concepts that are associated with such explanations. For example, the book discusses historical contingency and narratives, among other issues. The book is directed to philosophers of science, philosophers of history, historians, historically oriented social scientists, and everyone who is interested in how we make sense of the past.

Auteur

Veli Virmajoki is a researcher in the Finland Futures Research Center at the University of Turku (Finland), where he received his Ph.D. in philosophy in 2019.

Contenu

1. Introduction.- 2. The Dawn of Causal Explanation in Historiography. Hempel and Dray.- 3. Mechanisms and Historiographical Explanation.- 4. Narratives: Depth, Contingency, and Generalizations.- 5. A Counterfactual Account of Historiographical Explanation.- 6. History, Future, and Causal Explanation.