THE EXPLANATION OF LAWS 79 



instance of general and fundamental principles. It is 

 one of the profoundest instincts of our intellectual nature 

 to regard the more general principle as the more ultimately 

 acceptable and satisfactory ; it is this instinct which led j 

 men first to the studies that have developed into science. 

 In fact, what was called in the last chapter the 

 " ordering " of experience by means of laws might equally 

 well have been called the explanation of that experience, 

 f Laws explain our experience because they order it by 

 L&elemng particular instances to general principles] the 

 explanation will be the more satisfactory the more general 

 the principle, and the greater the number of particular 

 instances that can be referred to it. Thus, we shall feel 

 that the bursting of the pipes is explained more satis- 

 factorily when it is pointed out that the expansion of 

 water when converted into ice explains also other 

 common experience, for instance that a layer of ice 

 forms first on the top of a pond and not on the bottom. 



Doubtless there are other kinds of explanation ; but 

 it is important for our purpose to notice that the explana- 

 tions of common life often depend on these two principles * 

 that ideas are more satisfactory when they are more j 

 familiar and also when they are more general ; and that - 

 either of these principles may be made the basis of an 

 explanation. 



When it is asked what is the nature of the scientific 

 explanation of laws and it is the purpose of this chapter 

 to answer that question it is usually replied that it is 

 of the second kind, and that laws are explained by 

 being shown to be particular examples of more general 

 laws. On this view the explanation of laws is merely an 

 extension of the process involved in the formulation of 

 laws ; it is simply a progress from the less to the more 

 general. At some stage, of course, the process must 

 stop ; ultimately laws so general will be reached that 

 for the time being at least, they cannot be included under 



