Ideas from 'The Disorder of Things' by John Dupré [1993], by Theme Structure
[found in 'The Disorder of Things' by Dupré,John [Harvard 1995,0-674-21261-4]].
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7. Existence / E. Categories / 1. Categories
17377
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All descriptive language is classificatory
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7. Existence / E. Categories / 2. Categorisation
17376
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We should aim for a classification which tells us as much as possible about the object
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9. Objects / D. Essence of Objects / 8. Essence as Explanatory
17390
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Natural kinds don't need essentialism to be explanatory
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9. Objects / D. Essence of Objects / 10. Essence as Species
17388
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It seems that species lack essential properties, so they can't be natural kinds
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17389
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A species might have its essential genetic mechanism replaced by a new one
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14. Science / A. Basis of Science / 4. Prediction
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The possibility of prediction rests on determinism
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18. Thought / C. Content / 5. Twin Earth
17378
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Presumably molecular structure seems important because we never have the Twin Earth experience
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26. Natural Theory / B. Natural Kinds / 1. Natural Kinds
17385
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Kinds don't do anything (including evolve) because they are abstract
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17381
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Phylogenetics involves history, and cladism rests species on splits in lineage
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26. Natural Theory / B. Natural Kinds / 7. Critique of Kinds
17375
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Natural kinds are decided entirely by the intentions of our classification
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17379
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Borders between species are much less clear in vegetables than among animals
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17382
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Cooks, unlike scientists, distinguish garlic from onions
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17384
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Even atoms of an element differ, in the energy levels of their electrons
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17387
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Ecologists favour classifying by niche, even though that can clash with genealogy
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17380
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Wales may count as fish
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27. Natural Reality / G. Biology / 5. Species
17386
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The theory of evolution is mainly about species
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17383
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Species are the lowest-level classification in biology
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