Combining Philosophers
Ideas for Herodotus, Peter Koellner and Brian Ellis
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20 ideas
26. Natural Theory / D. Laws of Nature / 1. Laws of Nature
13595
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Laws don't exist in the world; they are true of the world [Ellis]
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5442
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For 'passivists' behaviour is imposed on things from outside [Ellis]
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5473
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The laws of nature imitate the hierarchy of natural kinds [Ellis]
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5474
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Laws of nature tend to describe ideal things, or ideal circumstances [Ellis]
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5475
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We must explain the necessity, idealisation, ontology and structure of natural laws [Ellis]
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26. Natural Theory / D. Laws of Nature / 2. Types of Laws
6616
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Least action is not a causal law, but a 'global law', describing a global essence [Ellis]
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26. Natural Theory / D. Laws of Nature / 3. Laws and Generalities
12675
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Laws of nature are just descriptions of how things are disposed to behave [Ellis]
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26. Natural Theory / D. Laws of Nature / 4. Regularities / a. Regularity theory
5460
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Causal relations cannot be reduced to regularities, as they could occur just once [Ellis]
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26. Natural Theory / D. Laws of Nature / 8. Scientific Essentialism / a. Scientific essentialism
13566
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A proton must have its causal role, because without it it wouldn't be a proton [Ellis]
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13579
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What is most distinctive of scientific essentialism is regarding processes as natural kinds [Ellis]
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13581
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Scientific essentialism is more concerned with explanation than with identity (Locke, not Kripke) [Ellis]
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13594
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The ontological fundamentals are dispositions, and also categorical (spatio-temporal and structural) properties [Ellis]
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5459
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Essentialists say dispositions are basic, rather than supervenient on matter and natural laws [Ellis]
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5461
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The essence of uranium is its atomic number and its electron shell [Ellis]
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6615
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A species requires a genus, and its essence includes the essence of the genus [Ellis]
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26. Natural Theory / D. Laws of Nature / 8. Scientific Essentialism / b. Scientific necessity
13603
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A primary aim of science is to show the limits of the possible [Ellis]
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5464
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For essentialists, laws of nature are metaphysically necessary, being based on essences of natural kinds [Ellis]
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26. Natural Theory / D. Laws of Nature / 8. Scientific Essentialism / c. Essence and laws
6614
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A hierarchy of natural kinds is elaborate ontology, but needed to explain natural laws [Ellis]
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26. Natural Theory / D. Laws of Nature / 8. Scientific Essentialism / d. Knowing essences
5487
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Essentialism requires a clear separation of semantics, epistemology and ontology [Ellis]
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6612
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Without general principles, we couldn't predict the behaviour of dispositional properties [Ellis]
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