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Single Idea 23781

[filed under theme 8. Modes of Existence / C. Powers and Dispositions / 5. Powers and Properties ]

Full Idea

Ellis allows categoricals alongside powers, …to influence the sort of manifestations produced by powers. He lists structures, arrangements, distances, orientations, and magnitudes.

Gist of Idea

Categoricals exist to influence powers. Such as structures, orientations and magnitudes

Source

report of Brian Ellis (The Metaphysics of Scientific Realism [2009]) by Neil E. Williams - The Powers Metaphysics 05.2

Book Ref

Williams,Neil E.: 'The Powers Metaphysics' [OUP 2019], p.163

A Reaction

I would have thought that all of these could be understood as manifestations of powers. The odd one out is distances, but then space and time are commonly overlooked in every attempt to produce a complete ontology. [also Molnar 2003:164].

The 29 ideas with the same theme [relation between powers and our view of properties]:

15780 Potentiality in geometry is metaphorical [Aristotle]
12969 The active powers which are not essential to the substance are the 'real qualities' [Leibniz]
4544 A thing has no properties if it has no effect on other 'things' [Nietzsche]
15479 Properties endow a ball with qualities, and with powers or dispositions [Martin,CB]
15488 Qualities and dispositions are aspects of properties - what it exhibits, and what it does [Martin,CB]
18400 Properties are not powers - they just have powers [Armstrong]
23781 Categoricals exist to influence powers. Such as structures, orientations and magnitudes [Ellis, by Williams,NE]
5481 Properties have powers; they aren't just ways for logicians to classify objects [Ellis]
12678 Shoemaker says all genuine properties are dispositional [Shoemaker, by Ellis]
8545 A causal theory of properties focuses on change, not (say) on abstract properties of numbers [Shoemaker]
15757 'Square', 'round' and 'made of copper' show that not all properties are dispositional [Shoemaker]
15759 The identity of a property concerns its causal powers [Shoemaker]
15760 Properties are clusters of conditional powers [Shoemaker]
15762 Could properties change without the powers changing, or powers change without the properties changing? [Shoemaker]
8552 If properties are separated from causal powers, this invites total elimination [Shoemaker]
4040 The notions of property and of causal power are parts of a single system of related concepts [Shoemaker]
15765 Actually, properties are individuated by causes as well as effects [Shoemaker]
14534 Shoemaker moved from properties as powers to properties bestowing powers [Shoemaker, by Mumford/Anjum]
3436 Should properties be individuated by their causal powers? [Kim]
4079 Properties are causes [Crane]
18523 Are all properties powers, or are there also qualities, or do qualities have the powers? [Heil]
18524 Properties are both qualitative and dispositional - they are powerful qualities [Heil]
14313 All properties must be causal powers (since they wouldn't exist otherwise) [Mumford]
14318 Intrinsic properties are just causal powers, and identifying a property as causal is then analytic [Mumford]
15123 Is the causal profile of a property its essence? [Hawthorne]
15122 Could two different properties have the same causal profile? [Hawthorne]
15124 If properties are more than their powers, we could have two properties with the same power [Hawthorne]
23776 Rather than pure powers or pure categoricals, I favour basics which are both at once [Williams,NE]
23777 Powers are more complicated than properties which are always on display [Williams,NE]