Laws for Metaphysical Explanation
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Grounding is a non-causal form of metaphysical explanation and dependence.
“Grounding is a non-causal form of metaphysical explanation and dependence.”
From Grounding panentheism (2026) · cites this paper as Schaffer 2017
When some fact f grounds another fact g, f does not cause g to occur; rather, the relationship concerns the constitutive generation of a dependent outcome.
“Grounding is non-causal in the sense that when some fact, f , grounds another fact, g, f doesn't cause g to occur. Rather, the relationship between f and g concerns the constitutive generation of a dependent outcome(Schaffer 2017, 305).”
From Grounding panentheism (2026) · cites this paper as Schaffer 2017
Cites
Explanation and Scientific Understanding
Friedman, M. (1974) · The Journal of Philosophy · doi:10.2307/2024924 · Cited by 1,386 · see citing works
Philosophical Papers Volume II
Lewis, D. (1987) · doi:10.1093/0195036468.001.0001 · Cited by 362 · see citing works
Carroll, J. W. (1994) · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511619908 · Cited by 314 · see citing works
Reutlinger, A. (2016) · Philosophy of Science · doi:10.1086/687859 · Cited by 116 · see citing works
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Oberle, T. (2026) · Religious Studies · doi:10.1017/s0034412525100978 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
- Authors
- Schaffer, J.
- Affiliations
- Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (US)
- Corresponding author
- Schaffer, Jonathan
- ORCID
- Schaffer, Jonathan
- Venue
- Philosophical Issues
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2017-10
- Volume
- 27
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 302-321
- ISSN
- 1533-6077 (ISSN-L)
- 1758-2237
- OpenAlex
- W2762605314
- Cited by
- 133
- References
- 4
- Citations by year
- 2026: 12 · 2025: 31 · 2024: 26 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 3
- FWCI
- 27.66
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Philosophical Issues (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History and Philosophy of Science › Philosophy and History of Science
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Philosophy and Theoretical Science
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › Epistemology, Ethics, and Metaphysics
- Keywords
- metaphysical explanation, laws of nature, metaphysics, explanation
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
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