display all the ideas for this combination of texts
7 ideas
12229 | Maybe we have abundant properties for semantics, and sparse properties for ontology [Hale/Wright] |
Full Idea: There is a compatibilist view which says that it is for the abundant properties to play the role of 'bedeutungen' in semantic theory, and the sparse ones to address certain metaphysical concerns. | |
From: B Hale / C Wright (The Metaontology of Abstraction [2009], §9) | |
A reaction: Only a philosopher could live with the word 'property' having utterly different extensions in different areas of discourse. They similarly bifurcate words like 'object' and 'exist'. Call properties 'quasi-properties' and I might join in. |
15435 | If you think universals are immanent, you must believe them to be sparse, and not every related predicate [Lewis] |
Full Idea: Any theorist of universals as immanent had better hold a sparse theory; it is preposterous on its face that a thing has as many nonspatiotemporal parts as there are different predicates that it falls under, or different classes that it belongs to. | |
From: David Lewis (Against Structural Universals [1986], 'Why believe') | |
A reaction: I am firmly committed to sparse universal, and view the idea that properties are just predicates as the sort of nonsense that results from approaching philosophy too linguistically. |
15451 | I assume there could be natural properties that are not instantiated in our world [Lewis] |
Full Idea: It is possible, I take it, that there might be simple natural properties different from any that instantiated within our world. | |
From: David Lewis (Against Structural Universals [1986], 'Uninstantiated') | |
A reaction: Interesting. Fine for Lewis, of course, for whom possibilities seem (to me) to be just logical possibilities. Even a scientific essentialist, though, must allow that different stuff might exist, which might have different intrinsic properties. |
18443 | A successful predicate guarantees the existence of a property - the way of being it expresses [Hale/Wright] |
Full Idea: The good standing of a predicate is already trivially sufficient to ensure the existence of an associated property, a (perhaps complex) way of being which the predicate serves to express. | |
From: B Hale / C Wright (The Metaontology of Abstraction [2009], §9) | |
A reaction: 'Way of being' is interesting. Is 'being near Trafalgar Sq' a way of being? I take properties to be 'features', which seems to give a clearer way of demarcating them. They say they are talking about 'abundant' (rather than 'sparse') properties. |
15433 | Tropes are particular properties, which cannot recur, but can be exact duplicates [Lewis] |
Full Idea: Tropes are supposed to be particularized properties: nonspatiotemporal parts of their instances which cannot occur repeatedly, but can be exact duplicates. | |
From: David Lewis (Against Structural Universals [1986], 'Intro') | |
A reaction: Russell's objection is that 'duplication' appears to be a non-trope universal. The account seems wrong for very close resemblance, which is accepted by everyone as being the same (e.g. in colour, for football shirts). |
15436 | Universals are meant to give an account of resemblance [Lewis] |
Full Idea: Perhaps the main job of a theory of universals is to give an account of resemblance. | |
From: David Lewis (Against Structural Universals [1986], 'Why believe') | |
A reaction: This invites the quick reply, popular with some nominalists, of taking resemblance as primitive, and hence beyond explanation. |
15438 | We can add a primitive natural/unnatural distinction to class nominalism [Lewis] |
Full Idea: To class nominalism we can add a primitive distinction between natural and unnatural classes. | |
From: David Lewis (Against Structural Universals [1986], 'Why believe') | |
A reaction: Lewis explores this elsewhere, but this looks like a very complex concept to play the role of a 'primitive'. Human conventions seem to be parts of nature. |