The Philosophy of Nature: A Guide to the New EssentialismFor many years essentialism was considered beyond the pale in philosophy, a relic of discredited Aristotelianism. This is no longer so. Kripke and Putnam have made belief in essential natures respectable once more. Harré and Madden have argued against Hume's theory of causation and developed an alternative theory based on the assumption that there are genuine causal powers in nature. Dretske, Tooley, Armstrong, Swoyer, and Carroll have all developed strong alternatives to Hume's theory of the laws of nature. And Shoemaker has developed a thoroughly non-Humean theory of properties. The "new essentialism" has evolved from these beginnings and can now reasonably claim to be a metaphysic for a modern scientific understanding of the world - one that challenges the conception of the world as comprising passive entities whose interactions are to be explained by appeal to contingent laws of nature externally imposed. |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
Essentialist Philosophies of Nature | 9 |
Empiricist and Realist Perspectives on the World | 21 |
Properties and Relations | 39 |
Powers and Dispositions | 59 |
Laws of Nature | 81 |
Natural Necessity | 103 |
Philosophical Implications | 123 |
Wider Implications | 145 |
Appendix | 167 |
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Common terms and phrases
accepted actual world argued Aristotle atoms behaviour believe capacities categorical properties causal laws causal powers causal processes causes chemical circumstances concept Consequently contingent depend describe disposed to behave dispositional properties dispositions of things distinctions economic effects electron epistemically possible essential natures essential properties essentialists example explain fact forces fundamental genetic genidentical H₂O Hume Hume's Humean imaginable independently interactions intrinsic natures intrinsic properties kind of process kinds of things language laws of nature mass metaphysical necessity metaphysically necessary modal natural kinds natural kinds structure natural necessity necessarily neo-classical economics Newtonian objects occur ontological particles passive philosophers physical possible worlds postulated predicates primary qualities priori problem programme properties and structures properties of things properties or structures proposition real essences realists reality reason relations role scientific sense social species supposed Sydney Shoemaker theoretical theory of laws tions true truth Twin Earth underlying universal vacuously true vis viva