Combining Philosophers

Ideas for H.Putnam/P.Oppenheim, Alex Orenstein and Robin F. Hendry

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1 idea

26. Natural Theory / B. Natural Kinds / 2. Defining Kinds
Maybe two kinds are the same if there is no change of entropy on isothermal mixing [Hendry]
     Full Idea: One suggestion is that any two different substance, however alike, exhibit a positive entropy change on mixing. So absence of entropy change on isothermal mixing provides a criterion of sameness of kind.
     From: Robin F. Hendry (Chemistry [2008], 'Micro')
     A reaction: [He cites Paul Needham 2000] This sounds nice, because at a more amateur level we can say that stuff is the same if mixing two samples of it produces no difference. I call it the Upanishads Test.