A response to Hempel's "covering law model" (#Hempel, "The Function of General Laws in History"). Donagan contends that "(1) explanations of historical actions are . . . independent of general laws; (2) many such explanations are verifiable and verified; (3) their subsumption under general laws . . . is . . . purely visionary; (4) the social sciences have not established any genuine laws . . ." (164) (Abstract via Allan Megill)