ABSTRACT
The idea of mechanisms, and how they are used in the sciences, is something that has been explored since 1993 in what is often regarded as the core mechanisms literature, focusing on the life sciences and the sciences of mind and brain (Bechtel & Richardson 1993; Glennan 1996; Machamer, Darden & Craver 2000), and since 1983 in the philosophy of social sciences (Elster 1983; Hedström & Swedberg 1998).
