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Full Idea
The way something is is given by the totality of its intrinsic properties.
Gist of Idea
Total intrinsic properties give us what a thing is
Source
David Lewis (Extrinsic Properties [1983], I)
Book Ref
Lewis,David: 'Papers in Metaphysics and Epistemology' [CUP 1999], p.112
A Reaction
No. Some properties are intrinsic but trivial. The 'important' ones fix the identity (if the identity is indeed 'fixed').
14524 | Bodies are combinations of shape, size, resistance and weight [Epicurus] |
12971 | If two individuals could be indistinguishable, there could be no principle of individuation [Leibniz] |
19379 | The law of the series, which determines future states of a substance, is what individuates it [Leibniz] |
10194 | Two things can only be distinguished by a distinct property or a distinct relation [Black] |
17668 | It is likely that particulars can be individuated by unique conjunctions of properties [Armstrong] |
8520 | An individual is a union of a group of qualities and a position [Quinton, by Campbell,K] |
17647 | Kripke individuates objects by essential modal properties (and presupposes essentialism) [Kripke, by Putnam] |
15455 | Total intrinsic properties give us what a thing is [Lewis] |
8303 | Criteria of identity cannot individuate objects, because they are shared among different types [Lowe] |
16680 | Scholastics thought Quantity could be the principle of individuation [Pasnau] |
16785 | If you reject essences, questions of individuation become extremely difficult [Pasnau] |