Combining Texts

Ideas for 'works', 'The Metaphysic of Abstract Particulars' and 'Mind in a Physical World'

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2 ideas

26. Natural Theory / C. Causation / 8. Particular Causation / b. Causal relata
Causal conditions are particular abstract instances of properties, which makes them tropes [Campbell,K]
     Full Idea: The conditions in causal statements are usually particular cases of properties. A collapse results from the weakness of this cable (not any other). This is specific to a time and place; it is an abstract particular. It is, in short, a trope.
     From: Keith Campbell (The Metaphysic of Abstract Particulars [1981], §3)
     A reaction: The fan of universals could counter this by saying that the collapse results from this unique combination of universals. Resemblance nominalist can equally build an account on the coincidence of certain types of concrete particulars.
Davidson can't explain causation entirely by events, because conditions are also involved [Campbell,K]
     Full Idea: Not all singular causal statements are of Davidson's event-event type. Many involve conditions, so there are condition-event (weakness/collapse), event-condition (explosion/movement), and condition-condition (hot/warming) causal connections.
     From: Keith Campbell (The Metaphysic of Abstract Particulars [1981], §3)
     A reaction: Fans of Davidson need to reduce conditions to events. The problem of individuation keeps raising its head. Davidson makes it depend on description. Kim looks good, because events, and presumably conditions, reduce to something small and precise.