Explanatory Priority

Definition

An explanatory priority is a biological question or explanatory concern that a research programme treats as foundational within its explanatory architecture.

In Brief

Explanatory priorities identify the questions that a research programme treats as central to biological explanation.

Explanatory priorities identify the questions that an explanatory architecture treats as foundational.

Organisational research programmes frequently investigate similar biological phenomena while assigning different explanatory priorities. These priorities influence how biological problems are formulated, which concepts become central, and how explanations are organised.

Comparative explanatory methodology therefore examines explanatory priorities as an essential component of understanding how different explanatory architectures are organised.