Single Idea 14347

[catalogued under 8. Modes of Existence / C. Powers and Dispositions / 6. Dispositions / c. Dispositions as conditional]

Full Idea

An object's disposition is said to be 'finkish' if the object loses the disposition after the occurrence of the appropriate stimulus, but before the manifestation has had time to come about.

Clarification

A 'fink' is an infiltrator who sabotages a strike in a factory

Gist of Idea

A 'finkish' disposition is one that is lost immediately after the appropriate stimulus

Source

Richard Corry (Dispositional Essentialism Grounds Laws of Nature? [2010], 2)

Book Reference

-: 'Australasian Journal of Philosophy' [-], p.3


A Reaction

[He cites Lewis 1997] An example would be some sort of safety device which only cuts in if the disposition seems about to operate (e.g. turns off electricity). It seems to block analyses of dispositions simply in terms of their outcomes.

Related Idea

Idea 14348 An 'antidote' allows a manifestation to begin, but then blocks it [Corry]