Toward Meaningful Explanations

Data are important! They are how we understand the world, and understanding the world is the special interest and purpose of Science. Understanding information that we gather about the world is an important part of the scientific process. However, data that are not correctly interpreted and understood are less than useless, they can actually be misleading or even damaging. So how can scientists, and people in general, understand their data? How can they understand the meaning of their data? If someone does not already understand some data, there should be a mechanism whereby an understanding is possible; in other words, some way to explain the data. This special issue is intended for a wide range of people who are concerned with meaningful explanations, including philosophers, physical scientists, engineers, linguists, social scientists, and many others.