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Single Idea 15214

[filed under theme 10. Modality / A. Necessity / 7. Natural Necessity ]

Full Idea

Natural necessity is neither a mere reflection of logical necessity nor a roundabout way of referring to empirical contingency.

Gist of Idea

Natural necessity is not logical necessity or empirical contingency in disguise

Source

Harré,R./Madden,E.H. (Causal Powers [1975], 1.I.B)

Book Ref

Harré,R/Madden,E.H.: 'Causal Powers: A Theory of Natural Necessity' [Blackwell 1975], p.6

A Reaction

They offer a strong defence of natural necessity, which is basic to their scientific essentialism. The key point is that they, unlike some others, are not defending metaphysical necessity about nature, but finding a different type of necessity. Good.

The 18 ideas with the same theme [necessary facts about the physical world]:

5047 The world is physically necessary, as its contrary would imply imperfection or moral absurdity [Leibniz]
5594 Natural necessity is the unconditioned necessity of appearances [Kant]
15884 Laws of nature remain the same through any conditions, if the underlying mechanisms are unchanged [Harré]
4797 Instead of being regularities, maybe natural laws are the weak a posteriori necessities of Kripke [Kripke, by Psillos]
17037 Physical necessity may be necessity in the highest degree [Kripke]
17058 What many people consider merely physically necessary I consider completely necessary [Kripke]
4970 What is often held to be mere physical necessity is actually metaphysical necessity [Kripke]
15214 Natural necessity is not logical necessity or empirical contingency in disguise [Harré/Madden]
15221 The relation between what a thing is and what it can do or undergo relate by natural necessity [Harré/Madden]
15224 A necessity corresponds to the nature of the actual [Harré/Madden]
15232 Natural necessity is when powerful particulars must produce certain results in a situation [Harré/Madden]
15288 People doubt science because if it isn't logically necessary it seems to be absolutely contingent [Harré/Madden]
15289 Property or event relations are naturally necessary if generated by essential mechanisms [Harré/Madden]
11978 Causal necessities hold in all worlds compatible with the laws of nature [Lewis]
2730 Because 'gold is malleable' is necessary does not mean that it is analytic [Audi,R]
14676 Nomological necessity is expressed with intransitive relations in modal semantics [Salmon,N]
11085 Nomological necessity is truth in all logically possible worlds with our laws [Hanna]
14552 Relations are naturally necessary when they are generated by the essential mechanisms of the world [Mumford/Anjum]