Explanatory Pluralism in Psychiatry: What Are We Pluralists About, and Why?

Explanatory pluralism across cultures and development

10.1093/oso/9780198789710.003.0019 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Cristine H Legare ◽

Andrew Shtulman

Keyword(s):

Knowledge Acquisition ◽

Future Research ◽

Human Origins ◽

Explanatory Pluralism ◽

Transitional Phenomenon ◽

Cognition And Culture ◽

Supernatural Explanations

Humans use natural and supernatural explanations for phenomena such as illness, death, and human origins. These explanations are available not just to different individuals within a society, but to the same individual, coexisting within a single mind. This chapter proposes that understanding the coexistence of qualitatively different explanations is fundamentally a cognitive–developmental endeavor, speaking to general questions of knowledge acquisition, socialization, and the interaction of cognition and culture. The chapter first reviews research demonstrating that coexistence of natural and supernatural explanations is not a short-lived, transitional phenomenon that wanes in the course of development, but is instead evident (and widespread) among adults. It then speculates on the psychological origins of coexistence and discusses implications for metacognition. Finally, directions are proposed for future research to inform understanding of how individuals incorporate natural and supernatural explanations across content domains, development, and cultures.

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Explanatory Pluralism

Journal of the American Academy of Religion ◽

10.1093/jaarel/66.1.13 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 66 (1) ◽

pp. 13-37 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

W. H. Austin

Keyword(s):

Explanatory Pluralism

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Counterfactuals and Explanatory Pluralism

The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science ◽

10.1093/bjps/axy048 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 71 (4) ◽

pp. 1439-1460 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Kareem Khalifa ◽

Gabriel Doble ◽

Jared Millson

Keyword(s):

Explanatory Pluralism

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Descriptive, Explanatory, and Interpretive Approaches

Research Methods in the Social Sciences: An A-Z of key concepts ◽

10.1093/hepl/9780198850298.003.0020 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 81-85

Author(s):

Louis M. Imbeau ◽

Sule Tomkinson ◽

Yasmina Malki

Keyword(s):

Social Sciences ◽

Research Process ◽

Natural Sciences ◽

Empirical Reality ◽

Social Scientists ◽

Explanatory Pluralism ◽

Or Groups ◽

The Social

This chapter assesses descriptive, explanatory, and interpretive approaches. ‘Description’, ‘explanation’, and ‘interpretation’ are distinct stages of the research process. Description makes the link between what is to be described and a concept and its empirical referent. It defines a way to understand empirical reality, as variations, significations, or processes. Description refers to the ‘what’ question, as the first step towards explanation. When it comes to answering the ‘why’ and ‘how’ questions, some social scientists differentiate between explanation and interpretation. For them, the aim of social sciences is to ‘understand’, that is, to uncover the meanings of individuals’ or groups’ actions through the interpretation of their beliefs and discourses, whereas the aim of natural sciences is to ‘explain’, that is, to establish causality and general laws. The chapter presents an approach which offers a broader perspective for the social sciences, advocating an explanatory pluralism that allows for a more ecumenical approach.

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