mechanismdependent

Mechanismdependent, or mechanism-dependent, is a term used in philosophy of science and related disciplines to characterize explanations that depend on specifying the mechanisms by which a phenomenon occurs. Such explanations contrast with mechanismindependent or nonmechanistic explanations that account for phenomena through laws, regularities, or statistical relationships without detailing underlying processes.

In practice, mechanismdependent explanations identify interacting parts and processes at work within a system and show how their organization and dynamics generate observed outcomes. The degree of mechanism dependence can vary from high-level mechanistic accounts that describe causal chains to detailed models that trace components across scales. Researchers pursue mechanismdependent accounts when mechanisms are known or hypothesized and when understanding how something happens is as important as predicting that it happens.

Examples include biology, where gene regulatory networks, protein interactions, and signaling pathways are described to explain cellular behavior; neuroscience, where neural circuits and synaptic mechanisms are invoked to explain perception or action; and engineering, where the functioning of a device is explained by the arrangement and behavior of its parts.

Mechanismdependent explanations interact with related concepts such as causal mechanisms, mechanistic models, and reductionist approaches. They are also discussed in contrast to mechanistic explanations in medicine, where understanding pathophysiology is weighed against statistical associations or population-level predictions. Critiques note that mechanismdependent accounts can be limited by incomplete knowledge of mechanisms, may overfit to known processes, and sometimes impede generalizable predictions when the relevant mechanisms are unknown or variable.

See also: mechanism, mechanistic explanation, causal mechanism, reductionism, explanatory virtue.