In this paper, I offer an explication of the notion of local explanation.
In the literature, local explanations are considered as metaphysically
and methodologically satisfactory: local explanations reveal the
contingency of science and provide a methodologically sound
historiography of science. However, the lack of explication of the
notion of local explanation makes these claims difficult to assess. The explication provided in this paper connects the degree of locality of an explanans to the degree of contingency of the explanandum.
Moreover, the explication is shown to be compatible with the
methodological need for a general consideration in the historiography of
science. In this way, the explication (i) satisfies the need to
explicate an important notion, (ii) connects local explanations and
contingency, and (iii) enables us to see how local explanations and
general considerations can be connected. However, the explication also
sheds critical light on many claims and expectations that are associated
with local explanations and their satisfactoriness.