Vicious regresses defeat explanation when each step requires the same unexplained element the step was invoked to explain, as Russell acknowledged in 'The Principles of Mathematics'.

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Explanation (in philosophy)(epistemology and philosophy of mind): A reason or account that shows why something is true or why someone believes it—it should tell you something genuinely informative, not just repeat the same idea in different words.
Regress(as used in epistemology and logic): An infinite chain of reasoning where each explanation requires another explanation, like asking 'why?' infinitely and never reaching a final answer.
Russell: # Russell Russell most commonly refers to **Bertrand Russell**, a highly influential British philosopher, logician, and social critic (1872-1970) who fundamentally changed how we think about logic, language, and knowledge. He's famous for showing that common-sense reasoning can contain hidden contradictions and for arguing that philosophy should use the precision of mathematics to solve problems. Russell also became a prominent public intellectual who wrote about everything from religion to nuclear weapons, making him one of the most important thinkers of the 20th century.
The Principles of Mathematics(the specific work where Russell's critique appears)

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