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Single Idea 8552

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

Full Idea

The disassociation of property identity from causal potentiality is an invitation to eliminate reference to properties from our explanatory hypotheses altogether.

Gist of Idea

If properties are separated from causal powers, this invites total elimination

Source

Sydney Shoemaker (Causality and Properties [1980], §05)

Book Ref

Shoemaker,Sydney: 'Identity, Cause and Mind' [OUP 2003], p.216

A Reaction

Just as epiphenomenalism about consciousness is a step towards eliminativism. This seems to describe Quine's reaction to Goodman, in moving from predicate nominalism to elimination of properties. I agree with Shoemaker.

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]