Combining Texts

All the ideas for 'The Epistemology of Modality', 'The Myth of the Aesthetic Attitude' and 'Letter to the Editor about Bayle'

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4 ideas

10. Modality / D. Knowledge of Modality / 4. Conceivable as Possible / a. Conceivable as possible

19440	How do you know you have conceived a thing deeply enough to assess its possibility? [Vaidya]
	Full Idea: The main issue with learning possibility from conceivability concerns how we can be confident that we have conceived things to the relevant level of depth required for the scenario to actually be a presentation or manifestation of a genuine possibility.
	From: Anand Vaidya (The Epistemology of Modality [2015], 1.2.2)
	A reaction: [He cites Van Inwagen 1998 for this idea] The point is that ignorant imagination can conceive of all sorts of absurd things which are seen to be impossible when enough information is available. We can hardly demand a criterion for this.

21. Aesthetics / A. Aesthetic Experience / 2. Aesthetic Attitude

20443	The aesthetic attitude is nothing more than paying close attention [Dickie, by Giovannelli]
	Full Idea: Once analysed, Dickie claimed, the so-called aesthetic attitude is not special at all, but is rather just a matter of close attention and focus on the subject.
	From: report of George Dickie (The Myth of the Aesthetic Attitude [1964]) by Alessandro Giovannelli - Some contemporary developments (aesthetics) 1
	A reaction: Sounds wrong. If a paint specialist gives close attention to a painting, they do not necessarily have an aesthetic view of it. You need to know the aim of the activity, just as when you watch a game.

26. Natural Theory / D. Laws of Nature / 8. Scientific Essentialism / c. Essence and laws

11945	In addition to laws, God must also create appropriate natures for things [Leibniz]
	Full Idea: It isn't sufficient to say that God has made a general law, for in addition to the decree there has also to be a natural way of carrying it out. It is necessary, that is, that what happens should be explicable in terms of the God-given nature of things.
	From: Gottfried Leibniz (Letter to the Editor about Bayle [1698], p.205)
	A reaction: Thus Leibniz is an ancestor of scientific essentialism, but he was too frightened to take the next step, which is to see that once God has endowed the natures, he doesn't need to wield his laws as well. The natures will do the whole job.

27. Natural Reality / A. Classical Physics / 1. Mechanics / a. Explaining movement

19348	All that is real in motion is the force or power which produces change [Leibniz]
	Full Idea: As for motion, what is real in it is force or power; that is to say, what there is in the present state which carries with it a change in the future. The rest is only phenomena and relations.
	From: Gottfried Leibniz (Letter to the Editor about Bayle [1698], §13)
	A reaction: This presumably contradicts Newton's concept of inertia, which allows constant motion without force. I always like a reference to powers. What is 'kinetic energy' in this context?