Indispensability Arguments in Favour of Reductive Explanations

Bouwel, Jeroen Van; Weber, Erik; Vreese, Leen De

doi:10.1007/s10838-011-9141-5

Cited by 16 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 21 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…This study adopted the social capital theoretical framework including bonding, bridging and linking perspectives. Tying our analysis to the three perspectives above to explain the process and causal factors may be reductionist; however, this strategy provided a platform to inform our evaluation on the role of HAs in malaria control [66].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of health animators in malaria control: a qualitative study of the health animator (HA) approach within the Majete malaria project (MMP) in Chikwawa District, Malawi

Kaunda-Khangamwa

Berg

McCann

et al. 2019

BMC Health Serv Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Malaria continues to place a high burden on communities due to challenges reaching intervention target levels in Chikwawa District, Malawi. The Hunger Project Malawi is using a health animator approach (HA) to address gaps in malaria control coverage. We explored the influence of community-based volunteers known as health animators (HAs) in malaria control. We assessed the impact of HAs on knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards malaria interventions. Methods This paper draws on the qualitative data collected to explore the roles of communities, HAs and formal health workers attending and not attending malaria workshops for malaria control. Purposive sampling was used to select 78 respondents. We conducted 10 separate focus group discussions (FGDs)-( n = 6) with community members and ( n = 4) key informants. Nine in-depth interviews (IDIs) were held with HAs and Health Surveillance Assistants (HSAs) in three focal areas near Majete Wildlife Reserve. Nvivo 11 was used for coding and analysis. We employed the framework analysis and social capital theory to determine how the intervention influenced health and social outcomes. Results Using education, feedback sessions and advocacy in malaria workshop had mixed outcomes. There was a high awareness of community participation and comprehensive knowledge of the HA approach as key to malaria control. HAs were identified as playing a complementary role in malaria intervention. Community members’ attitudes towards advocacy for better health services were poor. Attendance in malaria workshops was sporadic towards the final year of the intervention. Respondents mentioned positive attitudes and practices on net usage for prevention and prompt health-seeking behaviours. Conclusion The HA approach is a useful strategy for complementing malaria prevention strategies in rural communities and improving practices for health-seeking behaviour. Various factors influence HAs’ motivation, retention, community engagement, and programme sustainability. However, little is known about how these factors interact to influence volunteers’ motivation, community participation and sustainability over time. More research is needed to explore the acceptability of an HA approach and the impact on malaria control in other rural communities in Malawi.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of health animators in malaria control: a qualitative study of the health animator (HA) approach within the Majete malaria project (MMP) in Chikwawa District, Malawi

Kaunda-Khangamwa

Berg

McCann

et al. 2019

BMC Health Serv Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In medicine for example, depending on our aims, we may give priority to either low or high-level explanations. If we aim to cure a patient of some disease, we may give priority to low-level micro-biological factors, but if we aim to prevent a population from getting the disease in the first place, we should take high-level environmental factors into account (see van Bouwel et al 2011 andBroadbent 2019 for detail). 8 Plausibly, it would be preferable to explain MWmerger in terms of some fundamental entities or structures rather than by metaphor.…”

Section: Low-level Versus High-level Explanationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Whewell’s Hylomorphism as a Metaphorical Explanation for How Mind and World Merge

Merwe

2022

J Gen Philos Sci

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

William Whewell's 19 th century philosophy of science is sometimes glossed over as a footnote to Kant. There is however a key feature of Whewell's account worth noting. This is his appeal to Aristotle's form/matter hylomorphism as a metaphor to explain how mind and world merge in successful scientific inquiry. Whewell's hylomorphism suggests a middle way between rationalism and empiricism reminiscent of experience pragmatists like Steven Levine's view that mind and world are entwined in experience. I argue however that Levine does not adequately explain exactly how mind and world entwine. He could nonetheless do so if he appealed to Whewell's hylomorphic metaphor. We may prefer a reductive metaphysical explanation, but I suggest that pragmatists only have recourse to metaphor in this case. Both reductive and metaphorical explanations can enjoy great explanatory power if they exhibit a suitable measure of what I will call sematic distance. Semantic distance measures how close or how far apart explanandum and explanans are from each other in meaning. Metaphorical explanation as evident in Whewell's hylomorphism and as detailed via the notion of semantic distance presents a valuable new explanatory tool to those who hold that mind and world are entwined sans recourse to metaphysics.

show abstract

“…315 -333. UNED, Madrid Bouwel et al 2011). Aunque existen en la literatura múltiples discusiones al respecto, es de nuestra opinión que, por el tipo de datos que usa, MBE se termina acercando aún al naturalismo, lo que no quiere decir que esto pueda cambiar en el futuro.…”

Section: Naturalismo Vs Holismounclassified

Una teoría holista para la medicina

Federico

2021

Endoxa (Madr.)

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A partir del derrotero presentado en Saborido (2020), el presente artículo se propone profundizar en dos cuestiones claves que allí se desarrollan. La discusión alrededor de la dicotomía naturalismo/holismo, de manera de delimitar el campo de controversias. En segundo lugar, la distinción entre los aspectos científicos y tecnológicos de la medicina. El ahondar en ambos puntos nos permitirá plantear una alternativa metateórica de medicina holista, acompañando la propuesta del autor. Por último, presentaremos algunas conclusiones de carácter propositivo, que esperamos enriquezcan los aportes efectuados por el libro.

show abstract

Indispensability Arguments in Favour of Reductive Explanations

Abstract: Instances of explanatory reduction are often advocated on metaphysical grounds

Cited by 16 publications

References 21 publications

The role of health animators in malaria control: a qualitative study of the health animator (HA) approach within the Majete malaria project (MMP) in Chikwawa District, Malawi

The role of health animators in malaria control: a qualitative study of the health animator (HA) approach within the Majete malaria project (MMP) in Chikwawa District, Malawi

Whewell’s Hylomorphism as a Metaphorical Explanation for How Mind and World Merge

Una teoría holista para la medicina

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About