Sam Wilkinson 'Explanation and explanatory power in psychiatry: the case of voice-hearing'

This podcast features a presentation by Dr Sam Wilkinson (Department of Philosophy, Durham University) on ‘Explanation and explanatory power in psychiatry: The case of voice-hearing’ (Thursday 11 February 2016, 5 pm – 7 pm) Abstract: What is it to provide an explanation of something? In this seminar, Sam will explore different accounts of what an explanation is, and present his own preferred account, which he calls interrogative pragmatism. Against the backdrop of this account of explanation, Sam will elaborate an account of what makes something not merely an explanation, but also a more powerful explanation than a potential competitor. In other words, he will give an account of explanatory power. Finally, Sam will apply this to psychiatry in general, and voice hearing in particular, and illustrate instances of some explanations being more powerful than others.