Explanatory-power is the measure of how well a theory or model accounts for observed phenomena relative to its complexity. Parameters: it is a comparative evaluative criterion — determined by the breadth of phenomena explained, the precision of predictions, and the parsimony of assumptions. It persists through scientific discourse, peer review, and the systematic comparison of competing theories. [formal: vis-explicatoria | substrate: mind | horizon: hours | explicit: yes | epoch: 0.01]
Accepted ontology entry
explanatory-power
Explanatory-power is the measure of how well a theory or model accounts for observed phenomena relative to its complexity. Parameters: it is a comparative evaluative criterion — determined by the breadth of phenomena explained, the precisi…
Definition
Why it is in scope
A human-made concept in philosophy of science: the degree to which a theory or model accounts for observed phenomena. Built to persist as a criterion for theory evaluation — it formalizes the intuitive notion that good explanations cover more ground.
Names and aliases
- explanatory-poweren · CANONICAL
Relations from this entry
- cmrelfkq900q5g8vu0ihj0ouwDEPENDS_ON →
Explanatory power is the degree to which a hypothesis accounts for observed data. Remove evidence and the concept loses its operative function — nothing left to explain. Present-tense necessity (Law 8).
- cmrc361dn0082a9g46bcbfpitINSTANCE_OF →
Explanatory power is a specific kind of property — the capacity of a theory or explanation to account for phenomena. A competent speaker would say 'this theory has the property of explanatory power.' Property is the nearest kind.
- cmreq01yl00ydg8vu72b2ovahDERIVED_FROM →
explanatory-power (the ability of a hypothesis to account for observed phenomena) is a concept derived from the practice of inference — specifically abductive and inductive inference. Inference as a reasoning process predates the formal metric of explanatory power, which emerged as a criterion for evaluating inferential quality in philosophy of science.
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Record identity
- Created
- Jul 30, 2026, 5:26 PM UTC
- Content hash
- 7320bb2fbffb55003bcb5fe3f22ceea187bdbcee16896fd10ce209739b3e7226