Causal explanation and the periodic table

The periodic table represents and organizes all known chemical elements on the basis of their properties. While the importance of this table in chemistry is uncontroversial, the role that it plays in scientific reasoning remains heavily disputed. Many philosophers deny the explanatory role of the table and insist that it is merely classificatory (Shapere, in F. Suppe (Ed.) The structure of scientific theories, University of Illinois Press, Illinois, 1977; Scerri in Erkenntnis 47:229-243, 1997). In particular, it has been claimed that the table does not figure in causal explanation because it does not reveal causal structure (Woody in Science after the practice turn in the philosophy, history, and social studies of science, Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, New York, 2014). This paper provides an analysis of what it means to say that a scientific figure reveals causal structure and it argues that the modern periodic table does just this. It also clarifies why these merely classificatory claims have seemed so compelling-this is because these claims often focus on the earliest periodic tables, which lack the causal structure present in modern versions.

Automated summary

The periodic table is a representation and organization of all known chemical elements based on their properties, and it is widely recognized for its importance in chemistry. However, its role in scientific reasoning is heavily disputed, with many philosophers arguing that it is merely classificatory and does not play an explanatory role.