Combining Texts
Ideas for
'Matter and Memory', 'Philosophy of Science' and 'Letter to Pythocles'
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29 ideas
26. Natural Theory / B. Natural Kinds / 1. Natural Kinds
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6776
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Natural kinds are those that we use in induction [Bird]
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6767
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Rubies and sapphires are both corundum, with traces of metals varying their colours [Bird]
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6768
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Tin is not one natural kind, but appears to be 21, depending on isotope [Bird]
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6771
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Natural kinds may overlap, or be sub-kinds of one another [Bird]
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6770
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Membership of a purely random collection cannot be used as an explanation [Bird]
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26. Natural Theory / B. Natural Kinds / 2. Defining Kinds
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6773
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If F is a universal appearing in a natural law, then Fs form a natural kind [Bird]
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26. Natural Theory / B. Natural Kinds / 3. Knowing Kinds
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6769
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In the Kripke-Putnam view only nuclear physicists can know natural kinds [Bird]
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6774
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Darwinism suggests that we should have a native ability to detect natural kinds [Bird]
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26. Natural Theory / B. Natural Kinds / 5. Reference to Natural Kinds
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6764
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Nominal essence of a natural kind is the features that make it fit its name [Bird]
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6766
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Jadeite and nephrite are superficially identical, but have different composition [Bird]
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6808
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Reference to scientific terms is by explanatory role, not by descriptions [Bird]
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26. Natural Theory / C. Causation / 9. General Causation / b. Nomological causation
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6753
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Laws are more fundamental in science than causes, and laws will explain causes [Bird]
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26. Natural Theory / D. Laws of Nature / 1. Laws of Nature
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6762
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Newton's laws cannot be confirmed individually, but only in combinations [Bird]
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6763
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Parapsychology is mere speculation, because it offers no mechanisms for its working [Bird]
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6772
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Existence requires laws, as inertia or gravity are needed for mass or matter [Bird]
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26. Natural Theory / D. Laws of Nature / 4. Regularities / a. Regularity theory
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6746
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There may be many laws, each with only a few instances [Bird]
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6740
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'All uranium lumps are small' is a law, but 'all gold lumps are small' is not [Bird]
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6741
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There can be remarkable uniformities in nature that are purely coincidental [Bird]
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6742
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A law might have no instances, if it was about things that only exist momentarily [Bird]
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6743
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If laws are just instances, the law should either have gaps, or join the instances arbitrarily [Bird]
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6744
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Where is the regularity in a law predicting nuclear decay? [Bird]
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6747
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Laws cannot explain instances if they are regularities, as something can't explain itself [Bird]
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6748
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Similar appearance of siblings is a regularity, but shared parents is what links them [Bird]
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6749
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We can only infer a true regularity if something binds the instances together [Bird]
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6803
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If we only infer laws from regularities among observations, we can't infer unobservable entities. [Bird]
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6801
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Accidental regularities are not laws, and an apparent regularity may not be actual [Bird]
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26. Natural Theory / D. Laws of Nature / 4. Regularities / b. Best system theory
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6745
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A regularity is only a law if it is part of a complete system which is simple and strong [Bird]
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6802
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With strange enough predicates, anything could be made out to be a regularity [Bird]
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26. Natural Theory / D. Laws of Nature / 8. Scientific Essentialism / d. Knowing essences
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6789
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If flame colour is characteristic of a metal, that is an empirical claim needing justification [Bird]
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