Combining Texts

All the ideas for 'That Politics may be reduced to a Science', 'Counterfactual Dependence and Time's Arrow' and 'Metaphysical Foundations of Natural Science'

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5 ideas

14. Science / D. Explanation / 2. Types of Explanation / j. Explanations by reduction

15308	Science is the reduction of diverse forces and powers to a smaller number that explain them [Kant]
	Full Idea: All natural philosophy consists in the reduction of given forces apparently diverse to a smaller number of forces and powers sufficient for the explication of the actions of the former.
	From: Immanuel Kant (Metaphysical Foundations of Natural Science [1786], 534)
	A reaction: I'm beginning to think science is just tracking of complex forces and powers back to fundamental forces and powers. In which case, that is the analysis Kant is talking of. The standard model of physics would thrill him to bits.

23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 4. External Goods / d. Friendship

21093	Friendship without community spirit misses out on the main part of virtue [Hume]
	Full Idea: A man who is only susceptible of friendship, without public spirit or a regard to the community, is deficient in the most material part of virtue.
	From: David Hume (That Politics may be reduced to a Science [1750], p.21)
	A reaction: I think this is aimed at the epicureans. If the highest virtues are focused on one's friends that can easily lead to injustice, because it can tolerate prejudice against people who are very unlike one's friends.

24. Political Theory / B. Nature of a State / 3. Constitutions

21091	It would be absurd if even a free constitution did not impose restraints, for the public good [Hume]
	Full Idea: A republican and free form of government would be an obvious absurdity, if the particular checks and controls, provided by the constitution, had really no influence, and made it not the interest, even of bad men, to act for the public good.
	From: David Hume (That Politics may be reduced to a Science [1750], p.14)
	A reaction: Presumably if you attain absolute power you can write any old constitution you like (Clause 1: the presidency is for life). But there does seem much point in doing it - unless it is to facilitate the use of the law for persecutions.

24. Political Theory / C. Ruling a State / 2. Leaders / d. Elites

21092	Nobility either share in the power of the whole, or they compose the power of the whole [Hume]
	Full Idea: A nobility may possess power in two different ways. Either every nobleman shares the power as part of the whole body, or the whole body enjoys the power as composed of parts, which each have a distinct power and authority.
	From: David Hume (That Politics may be reduced to a Science [1750], p.15)
	A reaction: He says the first type is found in Venice, and is preferable to the second type, which is found in Poland. Presumably in the shared version there is some restraint on depraved nobles. The danger is each noble being an autocrat.

26. Natural Theory / C. Causation / 5. Direction of causation

8433	There are few traces of an event before it happens, but many afterwards [Lewis, by Horwich]
	Full Idea: Lewis claims that most events are over-determined by subsequent states of the world, but not by their history. That is, the future of every event contains many independent traces of its occurrence, with little prior indication that it would happen.
	From: report of David Lewis (Counterfactual Dependence and Time's Arrow [1979]) by Paul Horwich - Lewis's Programme p.209
	A reaction: Lewis uses this asymmetry to deduce the direction of causation, and hence the direction of time. Most people (including me, I think) would prefer to use the axiomatic direction of time to deduce directions of causation. Lewis was very wicked.