Combining Texts

All the ideas for 'Natural Kinds and Biological Realism', 'Philosophy of Natural Science' and 'Letters to William Molyneux'

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5 ideas

9. Objects / D. Essence of Objects / 13. Nominal Essence
Things have real essences, but we categorise them according to the ideas we receive [Locke]
14. Science / D. Explanation / 1. Explanation / b. Aims of explanation
Scientific explanation aims at a unifying account of underlying structures and processes [Hempel]
26. Natural Theory / B. Natural Kinds / 1. Natural Kinds
Some kinds are very explanatory, but others less so, and some not at all [Devitt]
27. Natural Reality / G. Biology / 5. Species
Species pluralism says there are several good accounts of what a species is [Devitt]
The higher categories are not natural kinds, so the Linnaean hierarchy should be given up [Devitt]