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Full Idea
The view I now favour says that the causal features of a property, both forward-looking and backward-looking, are essential to it. And it says that properties having the same causal features are identical.
Clarification
'Forward' is what it does, 'backward' is how it became instantiated
Gist of Idea
A property's causal features are essential, and only they fix its identity
Source
Sydney Shoemaker (Causal and Metaphysical Necessity [1998], III)
Book Ref
Shoemaker,Sydney: 'Identity, Cause and Mind' [OUP 2003], p.413
A Reaction
In this formulation we have essentialism about properties, as well as essentialism about the things which have the properties.
Related Idea
Idea 12733 Because of the definitions of cause, effect and power, cause and effect have the same power [Leibniz]
| 15091 | Restrict 'logical truth' to formal logic, rather than including analytic and metaphysical truths [Shoemaker] |
| 15093 | We might say laws are necessary by combining causal properties with Armstrong-Dretske-Tooley laws [Shoemaker] |
| 15096 | 'Grue' only has causal features because of its relation to green [Shoemaker] |
| 15095 | A property's causal features are essential, and only they fix its identity [Shoemaker] |
| 15097 | I claim that a property has its causal features in all possible worlds [Shoemaker] |
| 15094 | I now deny that properties are cluster of powers, and take causal properties as basic [Shoemaker] |
| 15099 | If something is possible, but not nomologically possible, we need metaphysical possibility [Shoemaker] |
| 15098 | Empirical evidence shows that imagining a phenomenon can show it is possible [Shoemaker] |
| 15100 | Imagination reveals conceptual possibility, where descriptions avoid contradiction or incoherence [Shoemaker] |
| 15101 | Once you give up necessity as a priori, causal necessity becomes the main type of necessity [Shoemaker] |