Although there is a growing literature in this area, the most prominent philosophical advocates of pragmatic approaches to explanation have so far tended not to make use of it.
van Fraassen (1980), especially Chapter Six and Achinstein (1983) are classic statements of pragmatic approaches to explanation.
However, it is worthwhile (and, provides additional insight into both approaches), to consider the possibility that some of the ideas associated with each might be combined, thus enlarging the space of possible approaches to explanation.
It is natural to connect this conception of laws with unificationist approaches to explanation: if laws are generalizations that play a central role in the achievement of simple (and presumably unified) deductive systemizations, then by appealing to laws in explanation, we achieve explanatory unification this makes it intelligible why it is desirable that explanations invoke laws[32].
This deflationary notion of agency is weaker and less controversial than the notion of agency that Peter Godfrey-Smith (2009) has challenged through his critique of rationalizing and optimizing approaches to explanation within evolutionary biology, approaches exemplified by Dawkins' (1976 [1989]) classic appeal to selfish genes.
No Ce was detected in the germanium-based clathrate phase Ba8– x Ce x Au y Ge46– y, which is somewhat controversial to the pure geometric approach for explanation of the cage filling.
Salmon extended Reichenbach's approach, effectively thinking of explanation as identifying the causes of phenomena and, consonant with empiricist scruples, attempting to provide an analysis of causation in terms of statistical relations.
However, their application remains difficult in a context defined by major staff shortages and a lack of innovative approaches (explanation of laws for rural actors, training of public services agents, participatory adaptation of laws for different contexts).
In contrast to Kitcher's unificationist approach to explanation via instantiation of argument schemata, on the causal-mechanical approach, unification occurs via instantiation of the same abstract mechanism schema within a domain.
This touches on the chief casualty of Brendon's descriptive approach: the relative absence of explanation and analysis.
