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
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In addition to analysis of a concept, one can deny it, or accept it as primitive
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7. Existence / C. Structure of Existence / 2. Reduction
8607
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Supervenience is reduction without existence denials, ontological priorities, or translatability
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7. Existence / C. Structure of Existence / 5. Supervenience / c. Significance of supervenience
8606
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A supervenience thesis is a denial of independent variation
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7. Existence / D. Theories of Reality / 6. Physicalism
8580
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Materialism is (roughly) that two worlds cannot differ without differing physically
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8. Modes of Existence / B. Properties / 1. Nature of Properties
8571
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Universals are wholly present in their instances, whereas properties are spread around
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8. Modes of Existence / B. Properties / 5. Natural Properties
10717
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Natural properties figure in the analysis of similarity in intrinsic respects [Oliver]
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16217
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Lewisian natural properties fix reference of predicates, through a principle of charity [Hawley]
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8585
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Reference partly concerns thought and language, partly eligibility of referent by natural properties
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8613
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Objects are demarcated by density and chemistry, and natural properties belong in what is well demarcated
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8586
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Natural properties tend to belong to well-demarcated things, typically loci of causal chains
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8589
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For us, a property being natural is just an aspect of its featuring in the contents of our attitudes
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15460
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All perfectly natural properties are intrinsic [Lewis]
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15726
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Natural properties fix resemblance and powers, and are picked out by universals
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8. Modes of Existence / B. Properties / 6. Categorical Properties
7031
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Lewis says properties are sets of actual and possible objects [Heil]
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8572
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Any class of things is a property, no matter how whimsical or irrelevant
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8. Modes of Existence / B. Properties / 10. Properties as Predicates
18433
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There are far more properties than any brain could ever encodify
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8604
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We need properties as semantic values for linguistic expressions
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8. Modes of Existence / B. Properties / 11. Properties as Sets
14499
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Properties are classes of possible and actual concrete particulars [Koslicki]
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8. Modes of Existence / C. Powers and Dispositions / 3. Powers as Derived
15120
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Lewisian properties have powers because of their relationships to other properties [Hawthorne]
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8. Modes of Existence / C. Powers and Dispositions / 7. Against Powers
8573
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Most properties are causally irrelevant, and we can't spot the relevant ones.
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8. Modes of Existence / D. Universals / 1. Universals
8569
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I suspend judgements about universals, but their work must be done
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8. Modes of Existence / D. Universals / 2. Need for Universals
21961
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Physics aims to discover which universals actually exist [Moore,AW]
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8. Modes of Existence / E. Nominalism / 1. Nominalism / b. Nominalism about universals
8576
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The One over Many problem (in predication terms) deserves to be neglected (by ostriches)
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8. Modes of Existence / E. Nominalism / 5. Class Nominalism
8570
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To have a property is to be a member of a class, usually a class of things
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8574
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Class Nominalism and Resemblance Nominalism are pretty much the same
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17. Mind and Body / E. Mind as Physical / 1. Physical Mind
8579
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Psychophysical identity implies the possibility of idealism or panpsychism
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19. Language / F. Communication / 6. Interpreting Language / c. Principle of charity
8615
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We need natural properties in order to motivate the principle of charity
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8614
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A sophisticated principle of charity sometimes imputes error as well as truth
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26. Natural Theory / C. Causation / 9. General Causation / c. Counterfactual causation
8608
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Counterfactuals 'backtrack' if a different present implies a different past
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8584
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Causal counterfactuals must avoid backtracking, to avoid epiphenomena and preemption
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26. Natural Theory / D. Laws of Nature / 1. Laws of Nature
15727
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Physics aims for a list of natural properties
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8581
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Physics discovers laws and causal explanations, and also the natural properties required
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26. Natural Theory / D. Laws of Nature / 4. Regularities / b. Best system theory
8611
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A law of nature is any regularity that earns inclusion in the ideal system
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