Publication Details
Explanation and Understanding in the Humanities: Controversy or Complementarity?
Abstract
In the paper differences and connections between the understanding and explanation in social sciences are analyzed. Presuming their complementarity, the difference between description and explanation is fixed whereby general methodological and philosophical reflections are supported by concrete historiographic material. In this sphere of facts it is also distinguished between the explication of concepts and explantion of ontic entities (historical facts, events, acts).
In connection with the practical syllogism as the form of the substantiating explanation the question of validity of this scheme of reasoning is set up. The psychological interpretation of undertanding is criticized by means of characteristics of non-trivial and correct explanation.