Publications

Numerous phenomena prompt inquiries into their origins, spanning from the cosmos and life, to species, civilizations, and pandemics. Answering these questions entails offering origin explanations. Here, I explore the distinctive characteristics of origin explanations that distinguish them from other types of explanations. I explicate the concept of an origin phenomenon and suggest conceptualizing an origin explanation as a specific form of causal explanation—one that reveals a bottleneck in the causal network leading to an origin phenomenon. The resulting framework highlights the specificity of origin explanations across disciplines, pinpointing distinctive topological features within the causal structure of the world.

Malaterre, C. (2025). Origin Explanation. Philosophy of Science, 1-23.