Abstract

If validity, consequence, and related notions comprise the subject matter of logic then, intuitively, logics should provide us with explanations when those concepts are involved. On this view, a model theory might be seen as explaining why there is no way to make the premises true and conclusion false. However logical explanation, like mathematical explanation, does not fit easily into standard theories of explanation. In this chapter we give an overview of arguments for and against the claim that logics explain, survey the theories of explanation in relation to logic, and discuss the role of modelling in logical explanation. We also consider the relationship(s) between accounts of logical explanation and debates about the epistemic status of logic, and explore the tension between the descriptive goal of explanations and the traditional normative role of logic.