more from this thinker | more from this text
Full Idea
When a tomato depresses a scale, it does so in virtue of its mass - how it is masswise - and not in virtue of its colour or shape. Were we barred from saying such things, we would be unable to formulate truths about the fundamental things.
Gist of Idea
We need properties to explain how the world works
Source
John Heil (The Universe as We Find It [2012], 02.3)
Book Ref
Heil,John: 'The Universe as We Find It' [OUP 2012], p.17
A Reaction
It doesn't follow that we have an ontological commitment to properties, but we certainly need to point out the obvious fact that things being one way rather than another makes a difference to what happens.
| 16155 | Aristotle promoted the importance of properties and objects (rather than general and particular) [Aristotle, by Frede,M] |
| 17849 | For two things to differ in some respect, they must both possess that respect [Aristotle] |
| 15754 | Without properties we would be unable to express the laws of nature [Armstrong] |
| 18372 | We need properties, as minimal truthmakers for the truths about objects [Armstrong] |
| 8568 | A property is merely a constituent of laws of nature; temperature is just part of thermodynamics [Mellor] |
| 15737 | To be a 'property' is to suit a theoretical role [Lewis] |
| 10716 | There are just as many properties as the laws require [Oliver] |
| 18510 | We need properties to explain how the world works [Heil] |
| 18430 | We accept properties because of type/tokens, reference, and quantification [Edwards] |