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Single Idea 5472

[filed under theme 26. Natural Theory / B. Natural Kinds / 1. Natural Kinds ]

Full Idea

Natural kinds appear to be of objects or substances, or of events or processes, or of the intrinsic nature of things; hence there should be laws of nature specific to each of these categories.

Gist of Idea

Natural kinds are of objects/substances, or events/processes, or intrinsic natures

Source

Brian Ellis (The Philosophy of Nature: new essentialism [2002], Ch.5)

Book Ref

Ellis,Brian: 'The Philosophy of Nature: new essentialism' [Acumen 2002], p.82


A Reaction

It is nice to see someone actually discussing what sort of natural kinds there are, instead of getting bogged down in how natural kinds terms get their meaning or reference. Ellis recognises that 'intrinsic nature' needs some discussion.


The 20 ideas with the same theme [general ideas about natural kinds]:

Unusual kinds like mule are just a combination of two kinds [Aristotle]
Chemists rely on a single experiment to establish a fact; repetition is pointless [Peirce]
Quine probably regrets natural kinds now being treated as essences [Quine, by Dennett]
If similarity has no degrees, kinds cannot be contained within one another [Quine]
Comparative similarity allows the kind 'colored' to contain the kind 'red' [Quine]
The natural kinds are objects, processes and properties/relations [Ellis]
Natural kinds are of objects/substances, or events/processes, or intrinsic natures [Ellis]
Science rests on the principle that nature is a hierarchy of natural kinds [Harré]
Some kinds are very explanatory, but others less so, and some not at all [Devitt]
Phylogenetics involves history, and cladism rests species on splits in lineage [Dupré]
Kinds don't do anything (including evolve) because they are abstract [Dupré]
Natural kinds are those that we use in induction [Bird]
Rubies and sapphires are both corundum, with traces of metals varying their colours [Bird]
Tin is not one natural kind, but appears to be 21, depending on isotope [Bird]
Membership of a purely random collection cannot be used as an explanation [Bird]
Natural kinds may overlap, or be sub-kinds of one another [Bird]
Natural kinds are what are differentiated by nature, and not just by us [Scerri]
If elements are natural kinds, might the groups of the periodic table also be natural kinds? [Scerri]
The Kripke/Putnam approach to natural kind terms seems to give them excessive stability [Koslicki]
Artifacts can be natural kinds, when they are the object of historical enquiry [Machery]