Phenomenology

The aspect of science concerned with mapping models onto physical phenomena absent an underlying Explanation.

Phenomenology is useful but incomplete. It describes patterns without explaining why they hold. A mature science moves beyond phenomenology to genuine explanation — Hard to Vary theories that account for why phenomena occur.

Connections

• •Preliminary to genuine Explanation — mapping without understanding
• •Related to Instrumentalism — both settle for prediction over explanation
• •Evidence is organized phenomenologically before deeper theories emerge
• •Explicanda are identified through phenomenological work
• •Critical Rationalism pushes beyond phenomenology toward explanation
• •Distinguished from Explanation by lacking the "why"