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8207
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The quest for simplicity drove scientists to posit new entities, such as molecules in gases [Quine]
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Full Idea:
It is the quest for system and simplicity that has kept driving the scientist to posit further entities as values of his variables. By positing molecules, Boyles' law of gases could be assimilated into a general theory of bodies in motion.
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From:
Willard Quine (On Multiplying Entities [1974], p.262)
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A reaction:
Interesting that a desire for simplicity might lead to multiplications of entities. In fact, I presume molecules had been proposed elsewhere in science, and were adopted in gas-theory because they were thought to exist, not because simplicity is nice.
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8208
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In arithmetic, ratios, negatives, irrationals and imaginaries were created in order to generalise [Quine]
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Full Idea:
In classical arithmetic, ratios were posited to make division generally applicable, negative numbers to make subtraction generally applicable, and irrationals and finally imaginaries to make exponentiation generally applicable.
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From:
Willard Quine (On Multiplying Entities [1974], p.263)
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A reaction:
This is part of Quine's proposal (c.f. Idea 8207) that entities have to be multiplied in order to produce simplicity. He is speculating. Maybe they are proposed because they are just obvious, and the generality is a nice side-effect.
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13082
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The complete concept of an individual includes contingent properties, as well as necessary ones [Leibniz]
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Full Idea:
In this complete concept of possible Peter are contained not only essential or necessary things, ..but also existential things, or contingent items included there, because the nature of an individual substance is to have a perfect or complete concept.
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From:
Gottfried Leibniz (Of liberty, Fate and God's grace [1690], Grua 311), quoted by Cover,J/O'Leary-Hawthorne,J - Substance and Individuation in Leibniz 3.3.1
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A reaction:
Compare Idea 13077, where he seems to say that the complete concept is only necessarily linked to properties which will predict future events - though I suppose that would have to include all of the contingent properties mentioned here.
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