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Single Idea 15706

[filed under theme 26. Natural Theory / D. Laws of Nature / 8. Scientific Essentialism / e. Anti scientific essentialism ]

Full Idea

One major argument against the view that essences are real is the rampant essentializing of categories that are socially constructed (such as race, caste and occupation).

Gist of Idea

A major objection to real essences is the essentialising of social categories like race, caste and occupation

Source

Susan A. Gelman (The Essential Child [2003], 11 'Is essentialism')

Book Ref

Gelman,Susan A.: 'The Essential Child' [OUP 2005], p.299

A Reaction

You can't argue with that. It raises the question of whether the approach of scientific essentialism has any value in the social, rather than physical, sciences. We jokingly essentialise groups of people such as referees or Oxonians.

The 17 ideas with the same theme [objections to essences in scientific investigation]:

13296 The cosmos has two elements - passive matter, and active cause (or reason) which shapes it [Stoic school, by Seneca]
13150 The motions of the planets could only derive from an intelligent agent [Newton]
12178 That gravity should be innate and essential to matter is absurd [Newton]
6734 If properties and qualities arise from an inward essence, we will remain ignorant of nature [Berkeley]
12110 We can never know origins, purposes or inner natures [Comte]
10246 The limit of science is isomorphism of theories, with essences a matter of indifference [Weyl]
10931 We can't say 'necessarily if x is in water then x dissolves' if we can't quantify modally [Quine]
17862 Essence gives an illusion of understanding [Quine, by Almog]
12179 Essentialist views of science prevent further questions from being raised [Popper]
5492 How can essences generate the right powers to vary with distance between objects? [Armstrong]
16547 H2O isn't necessary, because different laws of nature might affect how O and H combine [Lowe]
12243 The reductionism found in scientific essentialism is mistaken [Oderberg]
4799 Dispositional essentialism can't explain its key distinction between essential and non-essential properties [Psillos]
15178 Can anything in science reveal the necessity of what it discovers? [Sidelle]
15706 A major objection to real essences is the essentialising of social categories like race, caste and occupation [Gelman]
17864 Defining an essence comes no where near giving a thing's nature [Almog]
17863 Essences promise to reveal reality, but actually drive us away from it [Almog]