Combining Texts

All the ideas for 'Speaking of Objects', 'Introduction - Ontology' and 'fragments/reports'

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

18 ideas

1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 6. Hopes for Philosophy
1749 If all laws were abolished, philosophers would still live as they do now [Aristippus elder]
7. Existence / C. Structure of Existence / 3. Levels of Reality
5500 Biologists see many organic levels, 'abstract' if seen from below, 'structural' if seen from above [Lycan]
7. Existence / C. Structure of Existence / 7. Abstract/Concrete / a. Abstract/concrete
1630 We can only see an alien language in terms of our own thought structures (e.g. physical/abstract) [Quine]
7. Existence / D. Theories of Reality / 11. Ontological Commitment / b. Commitment of quantifiers
5747 "No entity without identity" - our ontology must contain items with settled identity conditions [Quine, by Melia]
8. Modes of Existence / B. Properties / 12. Denial of Properties
7925 There is no proper identity concept for properties, and it is hard to distinguish one from two [Quine]
9. Objects / A. Existence of Objects / 2. Abstract Objects / b. Need for abstracta
13387 Our conceptual scheme becomes more powerful when we posit abstract objects [Quine]
9. Objects / A. Existence of Objects / 5. Individuation / a. Individuation
8277 I prefer 'no object without identity' to Quine's 'no entity without identity' [Lowe on Quine]
9. Objects / F. Identity among Objects / 6. Identity between Objects
5494 'Lightning is electric discharge' and 'Phosphorus is Venus' are synthetic a posteriori identities [Lycan]
17. Mind and Body / C. Functionalism / 2. Machine Functionalism
5496 Functionalism has three linked levels: physical, functional, and mental [Lycan]
17. Mind and Body / C. Functionalism / 5. Teleological Functionalism
5499 A mental state is a functional realisation of a brain state when it serves the purpose of the organism [Lycan]
19. Language / F. Communication / 6. Interpreting Language / b. Indeterminate translation
1631 You could know the complete behavioural conditions for a foreign language, and still not know their beliefs [Quine]
1632 Translation of our remote past or language could be as problematic as alien languages [Quine]
22. Metaethics / A. Ethics Foundations / 1. Nature of Ethics / h. Against ethics
3558 Only the Cyrenaics reject the idea of a final moral end [Aristippus elder, by Annas]
22. Metaethics / C. The Good / 2. Happiness / d. Routes to happiness
5835 The road of freedom is the surest route to happiness [Aristippus elder, by Xenophon]
23. Ethics / A. Egoism / 3. Cyrenaic School
3018 People who object to extravagant pleasures just love money [Aristippus elder, by Diog. Laertius]
1751 Pleasure is the good, because we always seek it, it satisfies us, and its opposite is the most avoidable thing [Aristippus elder, by Diog. Laertius]
25. Social Practice / D. Justice / 3. Punishment / b. Retribution for crime
1755 Errors result from external influence, and should be corrected, not hated [Aristippus elder, by Diog. Laertius]
26. Natural Theory / A. Speculations on Nature / 2. Natural Purpose / c. Purpose denied
5501 People are trying to explain biological teleology in naturalistic causal terms [Lycan]