Full Idea
Essentialist suppose that the inanimate objects of nature are genuine causal agents: things capable of acting or interacting.
Gist of Idea
Essentialists regard inanimate objects as genuine causal agents
Source
Brian Ellis (The Philosophy of Nature: new essentialism [2002], Intro)
Book Reference
Ellis,Brian: 'The Philosophy of Nature: new essentialism' [Acumen 2002], p.3
A Reaction
I have no idea how one might demonstrate such a fact, even though it seems to stare us in the face. This is where science bumps into philosophy. I find myself intuitively taking the essentialist side quite strongly.