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Full Idea
Laws are true generalisations that support counterfactuals and are confirmed by their instances.
Clarification
'Counterfactuals' make statements about what might happen, usually beginning with "If…"
Gist of Idea
Laws are true generalisations which support counterfactuals and are confirmed by instances
Source
Jerry A. Fodor (Jerry A. Fodor on himself [1994], p.293)
Book Ref
'A Companion to the Philosophy of Mind', ed/tr. Guttenplan,Samuel [Blackwell 1995], p.293
A Reaction
This seems correct, but it doesn't disentangle laws as mental states from laws as features of nature
| 3975 | Folk psychology explains behaviour by reference to intentional states like belief and desire [Fodor] |
| 3976 | Intentional science needs objects with semantic and causal properties, and which obey laws [Fodor] |
| 3977 | Laws are true generalisations which support counterfactuals and are confirmed by instances [Fodor] |
| 3978 | Associations are held to connect Ideas together in the way the world is connected together [Fodor] |
| 3980 | Intentional states and processes may be causal relations among mental symbols [Fodor] |
| 3981 | Most psychological properties seem to be multiply realisable [Fodor] |
| 3982 | How could the extrinsic properties of thoughts supervene on their intrinsic properties? [Fodor] |