Ways to think about the future in a scientific way correspond to scientific anticipation instead of knowledge creation, to a complex analytical worldview instead of determinism, to discourse and scepticism instead of critical rationalism, to illustrative thought experiments instead of explanatory prognoses, and to plausibility instead of probability.
Consequently, we modeled the data using predictive methods instead of explanatory methods[ 12].
Other limitations are related to the choice of a pragmatic instead of an explanatory trial.
The present analysis differs in two ways from previous studies published by our group [ 17, 20]. 1) Here, we used continuous instead of dichotomized explanatory (kg/week instead of excessive weight gain) and outcome (BMI z-score and waist circumference instead of overweight) variables.
In direct contrast to Wolpert's past arguments, I contend that the complexities of biological development are such as to resist all efforts at a single comprehensive theory; that they require, instead, the disunity of explanatory efforts that have historically been the rule.
Instead of a coherent explanatory narrative, it presents us with fragments; for example, "Dust to Dust," a 2012 memoir by Benjamin Busch, a former Marine Corps captain and an actor, is organized not chronologically but around certain materials — metal, bone, blood, ash.
We may instead need a plurality of explanatory models.
Philosophers and economists have argued that in addition to or instead of the predictive and explanatory goals of the natural sciences, the social sciences should aim at providing us with understanding.
Additionally, in one analysis, the density of birds was used as an explanatory variable instead of the number of birds.
GT analysis aims at conceptual theories abstract of time, place and people and differs from most studies using qualitative data by presenting explanatory concepts instead of descriptions.
Alternative models were fitted where whole blood Pb, plasma Pb and bone Pb were included as explanatory variables instead of the Plasma/Blood Pb ratio, these latter models included standardized independent variables, and the estimated IRRs are per one standard-deviation change in the explanatory variable.
