Combining Texts

All the ideas for 'Classical Cosmology (frags)', 'On the Conservation of Force' and 'Neutral Relations'

unexpand these ideas     |    start again     |     specify just one area for these texts

---

8 ideas

8. Modes of Existence / A. Relations / 1. Nature of Relations

14217	The 'standard' view of relations is that they hold of several objects in a given order [Fine,K]
	Full Idea: The 'standard' view of relations, held by philosophers and logicians alike, is that we may meaningfully talk of a relation holding of several objects in a given order (which works for examples like 'loves' and 'between').
	From: Kit Fine (Neutral Relations [2000], Intro)
	A reaction: The point of Fine's paper is that there are many relations for which this model seems to fail.

14216	The 'positionalist' view of relations says the number of places is fixed, but not the order [Fine,K]
	Full Idea: The 'positionalist' view of relations is that each relation is taken to be endowed with a given number of argument places, or positions, in no specified order. [...The argument-places are specific entities, such as 'lover' and 'beloved']
	From: Kit Fine (Neutral Relations [2000], Intro)
	A reaction: Fine offers this as an alternative to the 'standard' view of relations, in which the order of the objects matters. He then adds, and favours, the 'anti-positionalist' view, where there are not even a fixed number of places.

14218	A block on top of another contains one relation, not both 'on top of' and 'beneath' [Fine,K]
	Full Idea: If block a is on block b, it is hard to see how this state of affairs might consist of both 'on top of' and 'beneath'. Surely if the state is a genuine relational complex, there must be a single relation for these relata?
	From: Kit Fine (Neutral Relations [2000], 1)
	A reaction: He has already shown that if such relations imply their converses, then that gives you two separate relations. He goes on to observe that you cannot pick one of the two as correct, because of symmetry. He later offers the 'vertical placement' relation.

14219	Language imposes a direction on a road which is not really part of the road [Fine,K]
	Full Idea: Roads in the directional sense (A-to-B or B-to-A) are merely roads in the adirectional sense up which a direction has been imposed.
	From: Kit Fine (Neutral Relations [2000], 1)
	A reaction: This is Fine's linguistic objection to the standard view of relations. It is undeniable that language imposes an order where it may not exist ('Bob and Jane play tennis'), and this fact is very significant in discussing relations.

14220	Explain biased relations as orderings of the unbiased, or the unbiased as permutation classes of the biased? [Fine,K]
	Full Idea: A 'biased' relation can be taken to be the result of imposing ordering on the argument-places of an unbiased relation, ..or we can take an unbiased relation to be a 'permutation class' of biased relations. This is a familiar metaphysic predicament.
	From: Kit Fine (Neutral Relations [2000], 3)
	A reaction: 'Biased' relations such as 'on top of' have an ordering to their places, but 'unbiased' relations such as 'vertical placement' do not. This is a nice question in the metaphysics of grounding relations between key concepts.

27. Natural Reality / A. Classical Physics / 2. Thermodynamics / a. Energy

20646	Helmholtz used 'energy' to mathematically link heat, light, electricity and magnetism [Helmholtz, by Watson]
	Full Idea: Helmholtz provided the requisite mathematical formulation linking heat, light, electricity and magnetism, by treating these phenomena as different manifestations of 'energy'.
	From: report of Hermann von Helmholtz (On the Conservation of Force [1847]) by Peter Watson - Convergence 01 'Human'
	A reaction: I'm increasingly struck by the neglect by philosophers of nature of these amazing developments in 19th century physics, because they prefer the excitement of the latest nuclear physics. There is more philosophical interest in the earlier stages.

27. Natural Reality / A. Classical Physics / 2. Thermodynamics / c. Conservation of energy

20973	All forces conserve the sum of kinetic and potential energy [Helmholtz, by Papineau]
	Full Idea: Helmholtz crucially asserted that all forces conserve the sum of kinetic and potential energy; superficially non-conservative forces like friction are simply macroscopic manifestations of more fundamental forces conserving energy at the micro-level.
	From: report of Hermann von Helmholtz (On the Conservation of Force [1847]) by David Papineau - Thinking about Consciousness App 4.3
	A reaction: Friction had been a problem case, because it appeared not to conserve energy when it slowed movement down.

27. Natural Reality / E. Cosmology / 1. Cosmology

5994	Is the cosmos open or closed, mechanical or teleological, alive or inanimate, and created or eternal? [Robinson,TM, by PG]
	Full Idea: The four major disputes in classical cosmology were whether the cosmos is 'open' or 'closed', whether it is explained mechanistically or teleologically, whether it is alive or mere matter, and whether or not it has a beginning.
	From: report of T.M. Robinson (Classical Cosmology (frags) [1997]) by PG - Db (ideas)
	A reaction: A nice summary. The standard modern view is closed, mechanistic, inanimate and non-eternal. But philosophers can ask deeper questions than physicists, and I say we are entitled to speculate when the evidence runs out.