Scientific understanding as dependency-grasping

Dellsén has recently proposed an account of scientific understanding that extends the well-established dependence-grasping account of objectual understanding. This proposal is attractive because it bridges traditional epistemology and the epistemology of science, combining a central philosophical insight about understanding with sensitivity to the scientific context. In this paper, we raise two objections that challenge the adequacy of this account for scientific practice. First, it fails to ensure that the dependencies one must grasp in order to achieve scientific understanding are appropriately related to scientific models. Second, it overlooks the fact that scientific understanding often involves an awareness of the epistemic limitations of such models. We then propose modifications to Dellsén’s account that address both concerns while preserving its central insights. As a result, we obtain a genuine dependency-grasping account of scientific understanding.