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Single Idea 17384

[filed under theme 26. Natural Theory / B. Natural Kinds / 7. Critique of Kinds ]

Full Idea

Even if we claim that it is really isotopes not atoms that are the natural kinds (thus divorcing chemistry from ordinary language), atoms are said to differ with respect to such features as energy levels of the electrons.

Gist of Idea

Even atoms of an element differ, in the energy levels of their electrons

Source

John Dupré (The Disorder of Things [1993], 2)

Book Ref

Dupré,John: 'The Disorder of Things' [Harvard 1995], p.39

A Reaction

So we can't just pick out the features of one atom, and say that is the essence. Essence always involves some selection. I say the essence arises from the explanation of the atom's behaviour.

The 17 ideas from 'The Disorder of Things'

17374 The possibility of prediction rests on determinism [Dupré]
17375 Natural kinds are decided entirely by the intentions of our classification [Dupré]
17379 Borders between species are much less clear in vegetables than among animals [Dupré]
17382 Cooks, unlike scientists, distinguish garlic from onions [Dupré]
17380 Wales may count as fish [Dupré]
17381 Phylogenetics involves history, and cladism rests species on splits in lineage [Dupré]
17377 All descriptive language is classificatory [Dupré]
17378 Presumably molecular structure seems important because we never have the Twin Earth experience [Dupré]
17388 It seems that species lack essential properties, so they can't be natural kinds [Dupré]
17389 A species might have its essential genetic mechanism replaced by a new one [Dupré]
17385 Kinds don't do anything (including evolve) because they are abstract [Dupré]
17384 Even atoms of an element differ, in the energy levels of their electrons [Dupré]
17387 Ecologists favour classifying by niche, even though that can clash with genealogy [Dupré]
17386 The theory of evolution is mainly about species [Dupré]
17383 Species are the lowest-level classification in biology [Dupré]
17390 Natural kinds don't need essentialism to be explanatory [Dupré]
17376 We should aim for a classification which tells us as much as possible about the object [Dupré]