more from Brian Ellis

Single Idea 12675

[catalogued under 26. Natural Theory / D. Laws of Nature / 3. Laws and Generalities]

Full Idea

The laws of nature must be supposed to be just descriptions of the ways in which things are intrinsically disposed to behave: of how they would behave if they existed as closed and isolated systems.

Gist of Idea

Laws of nature are just descriptions of how things are disposed to behave

Source

Brian Ellis (The Metaphysics of Scientific Realism [2009], 3)

Book Reference

Ellis,Brian: 'The Metaphysics of Scientific Realism' [Acument 2009], p.54


A Reaction

I agree with this, and therefore take 'laws of nature' to be eliminable from any plausible ontology (which just contains the things and their behaviour). Ellis tends to defend laws, when he doesn't need to.