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Single Idea 17368

[filed under theme 9. Objects / D. Essence of Objects / 10. Essence as Species ]

Full Idea

Essentialism is concerned with the nature of a group, whatever the category it falls under.

Gist of Idea

Essentialism concerns the nature of a group, not its category

Source

Michael Devitt (Resurrecting Biological Essentialism [2008], 6)

Book Ref

Devitt,Michael: 'Putting Metaphysics First' [OUP 2010], p.228

A Reaction

This seems to me such a simple and obvious point that I am amazed that anyone rejects it, yet lots of people seem to think that an essence is just some sort of category.

The 4 ideas from 'Resurrecting Biological Essentialism'

17369 We name species as small to share properties, but large enough to yield generalisations [Devitt]
17370 Things that gradually change, like species, can still have essences [Devitt]
17367 Species are phenetic, biological, niche, or phylogenetic-cladistic [Devitt, by PG]
17368 Essentialism concerns the nature of a group, not its category [Devitt]