ABSTRACT
This is why, contends Aristotle, we begin in puzzlement and move from wonder to world-view. Philosophers and scientists alike identify patterns they take to be significant, notice anomalies and puzzles in those patterns, and then redouble their efforts to provide ever deeper and more penetrating explanations. At each stage of development, inferior explanations give way to superior explanations. We come to a natural resting place when we believe that our explanations, if not perfect or perfectly comprehensive, are at least locally complete and correct.
