Combining Philosophers

Ideas for Anaximander, Henri Poincar and Machamer,P/Darden,L/Craver,C

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6 ideas

26. Natural Theory / A. Speculations on Nature / 6. Early Matter Theories / d. The unlimited

405	The essential nature, whatever it is, of the non-limited is everlasting and ageless [Anaximander]
	Full Idea: The essential nature, whatever it is, of the non-limited is everlasting and ageless.
	From: Anaximander (fragments/reports [c.570 BCE], B2), quoted by (who?) - where?

13222	The Boundless cannot exist on its own, and must have something contrary to it [Aristotle on Anaximander]
	Full Idea: Those thinkers are in error who postulate ...a single matter, for this cannot exist without some 'perceptible contrariety': this Boundless, which they identify with the 'original real', must be either light or heavy, either hot or cold.
	From: comment on Anaximander (fragments/reports [c.570 BCE]) by Aristotle - Coming-to-be and Passing-away (Gen/Corr) 329a10
	A reaction: A dubious objection, I would say. If there has to be a contrasting cold thing to any hot thing, what happens when the cold thing is removed?

404	Things begin and end in the Unlimited, and are balanced over time according to justice [Anaximander]
	Full Idea: The non-limited is the original material of existing things; their source is also that to which they return after destruction, according to necessity; they give justice and make reparation to each other for injustice, according to the arrangement of Time.
	From: Anaximander (fragments/reports [c.570 BCE], B1), quoted by Simplicius - On Aristotle's 'Physics' 24.13-
	A reaction: Simplicius is quoting Theophrastus

1495	Anaximander introduced the idea that the first principle and element of things was the Boundless [Anaximander, by Simplicius]
	Full Idea: Anaximander said that the first principle and element of existing things was the boundless; it was he who originally introduced this name for the first principle.
	From: report of Anaximander (fragments/reports [c.570 BCE], A09) by Simplicius - On Aristotle's 'Physics' 9.24.14-
	A reaction: Simplicius is quoting Theophrastus

26. Natural Theory / D. Laws of Nature / 11. Against Laws of Nature

16558	Laws of nature have very little application in biology [Machamer/Darden/Craver]
	Full Idea: The traditional notion of a law of nature has few, if any, applications in neurobiology or molecular biology.
	From: Machamer,P/Darden,L/Craver,C (Thinking About Mechanisms [2000], 3.2)
	A reaction: This is a simple and self-evident fact, and bad news for anyone who want to build their entire ontology around laws of nature. I take such a notion to be fairly empty, except as a convenient heuristic device.

15877	The aim of science is just to create a comprehensive, elegant language to describe brute facts [Poincaré, by Harré]
	Full Idea: In Poincaré's view, we try to construct a language within which the brute facts of experience are expressed as comprehensively and as elegantly as possible. The job of science is the forging of a language precisely suited to that purpose.
	From: report of Henri Poincaré (The Value of Science [1906], Pt III) by Rom Harré - Laws of Nature 2
	A reaction: I'm often struck by how obscure and difficult our accounts of self-evident facts can be. Chairs are easy, and the metaphysics of chairs is hideous. Why is that? I'm a robust realist, but I like Poincaré's idea. He permits facts.