Combining Texts

All the ideas for 'Science and Method', 'Axioms for the Part Relation' and 'Letters to Coste'

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4 ideas

2. Reason / A. Nature of Reason / 9. Limits of Reason
19433 The universe is infinitely varied, so the Buridan's Ass dilemma could never happen [Leibniz]
     Full Idea: The Buridan's Ass case of perfect equilibrium is chimerical. ...The universe has no centre and its parts are infinitely varied; thus it will never happen that all will be perfectly equal and will strike equally from one side or the other.
     From: Gottfried Leibniz (Letters to Coste [1707], 1707)
     A reaction: Can the great Leibniz have missed the point? Surely all that matters is that the ass cannot distinguish the two options - not that they actually are identical in every detail? If the ass is short-sighted, that should be easy to set up.
6. Mathematics / A. Nature of Mathematics / 2. Geometry
10245 One geometry cannot be more true than another [Poincaré]
     Full Idea: One geometry cannot be more true than another; it can only be more convenient.
     From: Henri Poincaré (Science and Method [1908], p.65), quoted by Stewart Shapiro - Philosophy of Mathematics
     A reaction: This is the culminating view after new geometries were developed by tinkering with Euclid's parallels postulate.
9. Objects / C. Structure of Objects / 8. Parts of Objects / a. Parts of objects
10650 In the military, persons are parts of parts of large units, but not parts of those large units [Rescher]
     Full Idea: In military usage, persons can be parts of small units, and small units parts of large ones; but persons are never parts of large units.
     From: Nicholas Rescher (Axioms for the Part Relation [1955]), quoted by Achille Varzi - Mereology 2.1
     A reaction: This much-cited objection to the transitivity of the 'part' relation seems very odd. There could hardly be an army or a regiment if there weren't soldiers to make up parts of it.
10. Modality / E. Possible worlds / 1. Possible Worlds / a. Possible worlds
19434 There may be a world where dogs smell their game at a thousand leagues [Leibniz]
     Full Idea: There will perhaps be a world in which dogs will have sufficiently good noses to scent their game at a thousand leagues.
     From: Gottfried Leibniz (Letters to Coste [1707], 1707)
     A reaction: Wonderful. This should immediately replace Lewis's much repeated example of a world containing a talking donkey. We should always honour the first person to suggest an idea. That is one of the motivations for this collection of ideas.