Combining Texts

All the ideas for 'The Value of Science', 'What Metaphors Mean' and 'On Minerals'

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5 ideas

9. Objects / C. Structure of Objects / 2. Hylomorphism / a. Hylomorphism

16756	Substantial forms must exist, to explain the stability of metals like silver and tin [Albertus Magnus]
	Full Idea: There is no reason why the matter in any natural thing should be stable in its nature, if it is not completed by a substantial form. But we see that silver is stable, and tin and other metals. Therefore they will seem to be perfected by substantial forms.
	From: Albertus Magnus (On Minerals [1260], III.1.7), quoted by Robert Pasnau - Metaphysical Themes 1274-1671 24.2
	A reaction: Illuminating. This may be the best reason for proposing substantial forms. Once materialism arrives, the so-called 'laws' of nature have to be imposed on the material to do the job - but what the hell is a law supposed to be?

19. Language / F. Communication / 6. Interpreting Language / d. Metaphor

7776	Metaphors just mean what their words literally mean [Davidson]
	Full Idea: Metaphors mean what the words, in their most literal interpretation, mean, and nothing more.
	From: Donald Davidson (What Metaphors Mean [1978], p.30)
	A reaction: This pronouncement must be the result of Davidson anguishing over the truth conditions for metaphors, which are usually either taken to have a 'metaphorical meaning', or to be abbreviated similes. He solved his problem at a stroke! Plausible.

7777	We accept a metaphor when we see the sentence is false [Davidson]
	Full Idea: It is only when a sentence is taken to be false that we accept it as a metaphor.
	From: Donald Davidson (What Metaphors Mean [1978], p.40)
	A reaction: This strikes me as a very nice and true generalisation, even though Davidson mentions "no man is an island" as a counterexample. We thirst for meaning, and switch to a second meaning when the first one looks peculiar.

7775	Understanding a metaphor is a creative act, with no rules [Davidson]
	Full Idea: Understanding a metaphor is as much a creative endeavour as making a metaphor, and as little guided by rules.
	From: Donald Davidson (What Metaphors Mean [1978], p.29)
	A reaction: This is good news for literature studies courses. Davidson's point is that the metaphor itself only gives you a literal meaning, so it doesn't tell you how to interpret it. It seems an attractive proposal.

26. Natural Theory / D. Laws of Nature / 11. Against Laws of Nature

15877	The aim of science is just to create a comprehensive, elegant language to describe brute facts [Poincaré, by Harré]
	Full Idea: In Poincaré's view, we try to construct a language within which the brute facts of experience are expressed as comprehensively and as elegantly as possible. The job of science is the forging of a language precisely suited to that purpose.
	From: report of Henri Poincaré (The Value of Science [1906], Pt III) by Rom Harré - Laws of Nature 2
	A reaction: I'm often struck by how obscure and difficult our accounts of self-evident facts can be. Chairs are easy, and the metaphysics of chairs is hideous. Why is that? I'm a robust realist, but I like Poincaré's idea. He permits facts.