Combining Philosophers

Ideas for Peter Carruthers, E.J. Lowe and Peter Alexander

unexpand these ideas     |    start again     |     choose another area for these philosophers

display all the ideas for this combination of philosophers

---

6 ideas

2. Reason / B. Laws of Thought / 6. Ockham's Razor

4217	It is more extravagant, in general, to revise one's logic than to augment one's ontology [Lowe]
	Full Idea: It is more extravagant, in general, to revise one's logic than to augment one's ontology.
	From: E.J. Lowe (A Survey of Metaphysics [2002], p.219)
	A reaction: Meaning there are stronger principles of thought which can trump Ockham's Razor. A few more entities won't hurt. Sound right.

2. Reason / D. Definition / 6. Definition by Essence

16539	A definition of a circle will show what it is, and show its generating principle [Lowe]
	Full Idea: If the definition of a circle is based on 'locus of a point', this tells us what a circle is, and it does so by revealing its generating principle, what it takes for a circle to come into being.
	From: E.J. Lowe (What is the Source of Knowledge of Modal Truths? [2013], 6)
	A reaction: Lowe says that real definitions, as essences, do not always have to spell out a 'generating principle', but they do in this case. Another approach would be to try to map dependence relations between truths about circles, and see what is basic.

16540	Defining an ellipse by conic sections reveals necessities, but not the essence of an ellipse [Lowe]
	Full Idea: Defining an ellipse in terms of the oblique intersection of a cone and a plane (rather than in terms of the sum of the distance between the foci) gives us a necessary property, but not the essence, because the terms are extrinsic to its nature.
	From: E.J. Lowe (What is the Source of Knowledge of Modal Truths? [2013], 6)
	A reaction: [compressed wording] Helpful and illuminating. If you say some figure is what results when one thing intersects another, that doesn't tell you what the result actually is. Geometrical essences may be a bit vague, but they are quite meaningful.

16548	An essence is what an entity is, revealed by a real definition; this is not an entity in its own right [Lowe]
	Full Idea: An entity's essence is just what that entity is, revealed by its real definition. This isn't a distinct entity, but either the entity itself, or (my view) no entity at all. ..We should not reify essence, as that leads to an infinite regress of essences.
	From: E.J. Lowe (What is the Source of Knowledge of Modal Truths? [2013], 6)
	A reaction: The regress problem is a real one, if we wish to treat an essence as some proper and distinct part of an entity. If it is a mechanism, for example, the presumably a mechanism has an essence. No, it doesn't! Levels of explanation!

2. Reason / D. Definition / 11. Ostensive Definition

16549	Simple things like 'red' can be given real ostensive definitions [Lowe]
	Full Idea: Is it true that we cannot say, non-circularly, what red is? We cannot find a complex synonym for it, but I think we can provide red with an ostensive real definition.
	From: E.J. Lowe (What is the Source of Knowledge of Modal Truths? [2013], 6)
	A reaction: I'm not quite sure how 'real' this definition would be, if it depends on observers (some of whom may be colourblind). In what sense is this act of ostensions a 'definition'? You must distinguish the colour from the texture or shape.

2. Reason / D. Definition / 12. Paraphrase

8262	How can a theory of meaning show the ontological commitments of two paraphrases of one idea? [Lowe]
	Full Idea: Nothing purely within the theory of meaning is capable of telling us which of two sentences which are paraphrases of one another more accurately reflects the ontological commitments of those who utter them.
	From: E.J. Lowe (The Possibility of Metaphysics [1998], 2.3)
	A reaction: This is an attack on the semantic approach to ontology, associated with Quine. Cf. Idea 7923. I have always had an aversion to that approach, and received opinion is beginning to agree. "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio..."