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Single Idea 15975

[filed under theme 14. Science / D. Explanation / 2. Types of Explanation / k. Explanations by essence ]

Full Idea

Is there any way of separating the qualities that bodies appear to have into two groups, one as small as possible and the other as large as possible, such that the smaller group can plausibly be used to explain the larger?

Gist of Idea

Can the qualities of a body be split into two groups, where the smaller explains the larger?

Source

Peter Alexander (Ideas, Qualities and Corpuscles [1985], 5.02)

Book Ref

Alexander,Peter: 'Ideas, Qualities and Corpuscles' [CUP 1985], p.123

A Reaction

Alexander implies that this is a question Locke asked himself. This is pretty close to what I take to be the main question for essentialism, though I am cautious about couching it in terms of groups of qualities. I think this was Aristotle's question.

The 35 ideas with the same theme [explaining by showing hidden natures in things]:

16646 To understand a triangle summing to two right angles, we need to know the essence of a line [Aristotle]
15119 Aristotelian explanation by essence may need to draw on knowledge of other essences [Aristotle, by Koslicki]
11384 We know something when we fully know what it is, not just its quality, quantity or location [Aristotle]
16105 We know a thing when we grasp its essence [Aristotle]
16135 Real enquiries seek causes, and causes are essences [Aristotle]
11296 The explanation is what gives matter its state, which is the form, which is the substance [Aristotle]
11999 Essential properties explain in conjunction with properties shared by the same kind [Aristotle, by Kung]
22524 The nature of each thing is its mature state [Aristotle]
12000 Aristotle regularly says that essential properties explain other significant properties [Aristotle, by Kung]
11198 Definition of essence makes things understandable [Aquinas]
16784 Forms make things distinct and explain the properties, by pure form, or arrangement of parts [Arnauld,A/Nicole,P]
13073 To understand the properties we must know the essence, as with a circle [Spinoza]
17026 From the phenomena, I can't deduce the reason for the properties of gravity [Newton]
16037 Locke seems to use real essence for scientific explanation, and substratum for the being of a thing [Locke, by Jones,J-E]
16032 To explain qualities, Locke invokes primary and secondary qualities, not real essences [Locke, by Jones,J-E]
12519 Gold is supposed to have a real essence, from whence its detectable properties flow [Locke]
12977 We will only connect our various definitions of gold when we understand it more deeply [Leibniz]
12729 The cause of a change is not the real influence, but whatever gives a reason for the change [Leibniz]
13089 To fully conceive the subject is to explain the resulting predicates and events [Leibniz]
13092 The essence of substance is the law of its changes, as in the series of numbers [Leibniz]
13569 To give essentialist explanations there have to be natural kinds [Ellis]
15975 Can the qualities of a body be split into two groups, where the smaller explains the larger? [Alexander,P]
15219 Essence explains passive capacities as well as active powers [Harré/Madden]
11995 Some peripheral properties are explained by essential ones, but don't themselves explain properties [Kung]
11996 Some non-essential properties may explain more than essential-but-peripheral ones do [Kung]
11848 Asking 'what is it?' nicely points us to the persistence of a continuing entity [Wiggins]
12064 The category of substance is more important for epistemology than for ontology [Wiggins]
12049 Naming the secondary substance provides a mass of general information [Wiggins]
14322 If fragile just means 'breaks when dropped', it won't explain a breakage [Mumford]
17481 Nuclear charge (plus laws) explains electron structure and spectrum, but not vice versa [Hendry]
11905 Locke's kind essences are explanatory, without being necessary to the kind [Mackie,P]
15114 Discovering the Aristotelian essence of thunder will tell us why thunder occurs [Koslicki]
15710 Bohr explained the periodic table and chemical properties of elements, using the quantum atom [Kumar]
16783 Essences must explain, so we can infer them causally from the accidents [Pasnau]
16975 Essences are used to explain natural kinds, modality, and causal powers [Tahko]