ABSTRACT
Why does the explanation process deserve special focus? The an swer, in short, is that explanation is at the heart of intelligence. Explanation is the process by which we make sense of the world around us. Before we can even begin to form intelligent plans or make intelligent predictions, we must understand the causes of the things we observe. In this chapter, which is adapted from Schank's (1986) book on explanation patterns, the central role that the explanation process plays in human thinking is described.
