Explanatory Models

An explanatory model organizes observations and evidence into a coherent account of how or why something occurs.

Models are useful because isolated facts do not explain themselves. Models are dangerous because coherence can be mistaken for truth.

QLens therefore allows multiple explanatory models to coexist. Each model may record:

• its central claim;
• the domain it attempts to explain;
• supporting and conflicting evidence;
• assumptions;
• predictions or consequences;
• known limitations;
• relationships to competing models.

A model should not be promoted merely because it is elegant. It earns strength by surviving contact with evidence and by explaining more with fewer unsupported assumptions.