Legally, the copyright status of Craik’s work is complex. The original 1943 edition may be in the public domain in some jurisdictions, but later reprints (like the 1967 MIT Press edition) are copyrighted.
For academic and archival purposes:
If you cannot find the PDF legally, many modern anthologies of cognitive science (e.g., Readings in Cognitive Science or The Philosophy of Mind) include extended excerpts from Chapter 2.
Craik was a materialist. He argued that thinking is not a supernatural spirit floating above the brain. Instead, it is a mechanical process. He looked at analog calculating machines (like the tide predictors of his era) and suggested that the brain works on the same principle: physical symbols representing physical states of the world. kenneth craik the nature of explanation pdf
The heart of The Nature of Explanation is what later became known as the “Craikian hypothesis” or the mental model theory. Craik argued that to explain an event—whether a falling apple or a friend’s angry reaction—is to relate it to general laws or patterns. But crucially, for a living organism (human or animal) to understand its environment, it must possess an internal, working model of that environment.
Craik writes, in essence:
“If the organism carries a ‘small-scale model’ of external reality and of its own possible actions within its head, it can try out various alternatives, conclude which are the best, and react before actual events occur.” Legally, the copyright status of Craik’s work is complex
This is the core of his argument. The brain is not a passive receiver of stimuli (as behaviorists claimed) nor a mystical arena of free-floating ideas. It is a physical mechanism that simulates the world. Just as an engineer uses a scale model of a bridge to test stresses, the brain uses neural models to predict outcomes.
No text is without its limitations, and The Nature of Explanation is no exception. Due to its wartime publication and Craik’s untimely death, the book remains a brilliant sketch rather than a full-blown system.
Nevertheless, these "weaknesses" are a sign of its pioneering status. Every foundational text raises more questions than it answers. If you cannot find the PDF legally, many
Craik proposes that a "model" relies on three distinct physiological and psychological processes:
If you are affiliated with a university, HathiTrust provides full PDF access. Search for the title; many member institutions have digitized the original 1943 edition.
The most significant feature of the book is the introduction of the "Mental Model" theory. Craik argues that the mind does not just passively receive sensory data; it actively constructs small-scale "models" of reality.