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Full Idea
I propose a dispositional ontology for the physical world, according to which a) every structural property is a dispositional one, b) a physical object is an ordered set of dispositions, and c) every event manifests a dispositional property of the world.
Gist of Idea
All structures are dispositional, objects are dispositions sets, and events manifest dispositions
Source
J.H. Fetzer (A World of Dispositions [1977], Intro)
Book Ref
-: 'Synthese' [-], p.397
A Reaction
Mumford says this is consistent with ontology as a way of describing the world, rather than being facts about the world. I like Fetzer's sketch, which sounds to have a lot in common with 'process philosophy'.
14297 | A dispositional property is not a state, but a liability to be in some state, given a condition [Ryle] |
15797 | All structures are dispositional, objects are dispositions sets, and events manifest dispositions [Fetzer] |
14291 | Dispositions are not just possibilities - they are features of actual things [Mumford] |
14299 | There could be dispositions that are never manifested [Mumford] |
14920 | If science captures the modal structure of things, that explains why its predictions work [Ladyman/Ross] |