ABSTRACT
As stated in sec. 2.3, empirical facts are explained or predicted by being derived from general laws together with antecedent conditions. This idea of explanation has a long philosophical tradition which goes back to Aristotle (Losee 2001, 18). Hempel tried to make this idea logically precise. His endeavor was exposed to a host of difficulties which caused a broad debate in philosophy of science (for overviews see Salmon 1989; Stegmüller 1969ff vol I; Schurz 1996a).
