Combining Texts

All the ideas for 'Meaning', 'The Approach to Metaphysics' and 'The Disorder of Things'

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21 ideas

1. Philosophy / E. Nature of Metaphysics / 4. Metaphysics as Science
Metaphysics rests on observations, but ones so common we hardly notice them [Peirce]
7. Existence / E. Categories / 1. Categories
All descriptive language is classificatory [Dupré]
7. Existence / E. Categories / 2. Categorisation
We should aim for a classification which tells us as much as possible about the object [Dupré]
9. Objects / D. Essence of Objects / 8. Essence as Explanatory
Natural kinds don't need essentialism to be explanatory [Dupré]
9. Objects / D. Essence of Objects / 10. Essence as Species
A species might have its essential genetic mechanism replaced by a new one [Dupré]
It seems that species lack essential properties, so they can't be natural kinds [Dupré]
14. Science / A. Basis of Science / 4. Prediction
The possibility of prediction rests on determinism [Dupré]
18. Thought / C. Content / 5. Twin Earth
Presumably molecular structure seems important because we never have the Twin Earth experience [Dupré]
19. Language / A. Nature of Meaning / 3. Meaning as Speaker's Intention
Only the utterer's primary intention is relevant to the meaning [Grice]
Meaning needs an intention to induce a belief, and a recognition that this is the speaker's intention [Grice]
We judge linguistic intentions rather as we judge non-linguistic intentions, so they are alike [Grice]
26. Natural Theory / B. Natural Kinds / 1. Natural Kinds
Phylogenetics involves history, and cladism rests species on splits in lineage [Dupré]
Kinds don't do anything (including evolve) because they are abstract [Dupré]
26. Natural Theory / B. Natural Kinds / 7. Critique of Kinds
Wales may count as fish [Dupré]
Cooks, unlike scientists, distinguish garlic from onions [Dupré]
Natural kinds are decided entirely by the intentions of our classification [Dupré]
Borders between species are much less clear in vegetables than among animals [Dupré]
Even atoms of an element differ, in the energy levels of their electrons [Dupré]
Ecologists favour classifying by niche, even though that can clash with genealogy [Dupré]
27. Natural Reality / G. Biology / 5. Species
The theory of evolution is mainly about species [Dupré]
Species are the lowest-level classification in biology [Dupré]