Single Idea 9488

[catalogued under 26. Natural Theory / D. Laws of Nature / 2. Types of Laws]

Full Idea

Instead of viewing laws as regular relationships between dispositional properties and stimulus-manifestation, they can be conceived of as a relation between properties.

Gist of Idea

Laws are either disposition regularities, or relations between properties

Source

Alexander Bird (Nature's Metaphysics [2007], 3.4)

Book Reference

Bird,Alexander: 'Nature's Metaphysics' [OUP 2007], p.64


A Reaction

Bird offers these as the two main views, with the first coming from scientific essentialism, and the second from Armstrong's account of universals. Personally I favour the first, but Bird suggests that powers give the best support for both views.