Ideas from 'New work for a theory of universals' by David Lewis [1983], by Theme Structure

[found in 'Papers in Metaphysics and Epistemology' by Lewis,David [CUP 1999,0-521-58787-5]].

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1. Philosophy / F. Analytic Philosophy / 4. Conceptual Analysis

8605	In addition to analysis of a concept, one can deny it, or accept it as primitive

7. Existence / C. Structure of Existence / 2. Reduction

8607	Supervenience is reduction without existence denials, ontological priorities, or translatability

7. Existence / C. Structure of Existence / 5. Supervenience / c. Significance of supervenience

8606	A supervenience thesis is a denial of independent variation

7. Existence / D. Theories of Reality / 6. Physicalism

8580	Materialism is (roughly) that two worlds cannot differ without differing physically

8. Modes of Existence / B. Properties / 1. Nature of Properties

8571	Universals are wholly present in their instances, whereas properties are spread around

8. Modes of Existence / B. Properties / 5. Natural Properties

10717

Natural properties figure in the analysis of similarity in intrinsic respects [Oliver]

16217

Lewisian natural properties fix reference of predicates, through a principle of charity [Hawley]

8585	Reference partly concerns thought and language, partly eligibility of referent by natural properties

8613	Objects are demarcated by density and chemistry, and natural properties belong in what is well demarcated

8586	Natural properties tend to belong to well-demarcated things, typically loci of causal chains

8589	For us, a property being natural is just an aspect of its featuring in the contents of our attitudes

15460

All perfectly natural properties are intrinsic [Lewis]

15726

Natural properties fix resemblance and powers, and are picked out by universals

8. Modes of Existence / B. Properties / 6. Categorical Properties

7031	Lewis says properties are sets of actual and possible objects [Heil]

8572	Any class of things is a property, no matter how whimsical or irrelevant

8. Modes of Existence / B. Properties / 10. Properties as Predicates

18433

There are far more properties than any brain could ever encodify

8604	We need properties as semantic values for linguistic expressions

8. Modes of Existence / B. Properties / 11. Properties as Sets

14499

Properties are classes of possible and actual concrete particulars [Koslicki]

8. Modes of Existence / C. Powers and Dispositions / 3. Powers as Derived

15120

Lewisian properties have powers because of their relationships to other properties [Hawthorne]

8. Modes of Existence / C. Powers and Dispositions / 7. Against Powers

8573	Most properties are causally irrelevant, and we can't spot the relevant ones.

8. Modes of Existence / D. Universals / 1. Universals

8569	I suspend judgements about universals, but their work must be done

8. Modes of Existence / D. Universals / 2. Need for Universals

21961

Physics aims to discover which universals actually exist [Moore,AW]

8. Modes of Existence / E. Nominalism / 1. Nominalism / b. Nominalism about universals

8576	The One over Many problem (in predication terms) deserves to be neglected (by ostriches)

8. Modes of Existence / E. Nominalism / 5. Class Nominalism

8570	To have a property is to be a member of a class, usually a class of things

8574	Class Nominalism and Resemblance Nominalism are pretty much the same

17. Mind and Body / E. Mind as Physical / 1. Physical Mind

8579	Psychophysical identity implies the possibility of idealism or panpsychism

19. Language / F. Communication / 6. Interpreting Language / c. Principle of charity

8615	We need natural properties in order to motivate the principle of charity

8614	A sophisticated principle of charity sometimes imputes error as well as truth

26. Natural Theory / C. Causation / 9. General Causation / c. Counterfactual causation

8608	Counterfactuals 'backtrack' if a different present implies a different past

8584	Causal counterfactuals must avoid backtracking, to avoid epiphenomena and preemption

26. Natural Theory / D. Laws of Nature / 1. Laws of Nature

15727

Physics aims for a list of natural properties

8581	Physics discovers laws and causal explanations, and also the natural properties required

26. Natural Theory / D. Laws of Nature / 4. Regularities / b. Best system theory

8611	A law of nature is any regularity that earns inclusion in the ideal system