The Metaphysics Of Natural Kinds

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The Semantics and Metaphysics of Natural Kinds

Helen Beebee,Nigel Sabbarton-Leary
The Semantics and Metaphysics of Natural Kinds Book PDF

Author : Helen Beebee,Nigel Sabbarton-Leary
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 509 pages
File Size : 53,6 Mb
Release : 2010-05-05
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781136975769

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The Semantics and Metaphysics of Natural Kinds by Helen Beebee,Nigel Sabbarton-Leary Pdf

Essentialism--roughly, the view that natural kinds have discrete essences, generating truths that are necessary but knowable only a posteriori--is an increasingly popular view in the metaphysics of science. At the same time, philosophers of language have been subjecting Kripke’s views about the existence and scope of the necessary a posteriori to rigorous analysis and criticism. Essentialists typically appeal to Kripkean semantics to motivate their radical extension of the realm of the necessary a posteriori; but they rarely attempt to provide any semantic arguments for this extension, or engage with the critical work being done by philosophers of language. This collection brings authors on both sides together in one volume, thus helping the reader to see the connections between views in philosophy of language on the one hand and the metaphysics of science on the other. The result is a book that will have a significant impact on the debate about essentialism, encouraging essentialists to engage with debates about the semantic presuppositions that underpin their position, and, encouraging philosophers of language to engage with the metaphysical presuppositions enshrined in Kripkean semantics.

Carving Nature at Its Joints

Joseph Keim Campbell,Michael O'Rourke,Matthew H. Slater
Carving Nature at Its Joints Book PDF

Author : Joseph Keim Campbell,Michael O'Rourke,Matthew H. Slater
Publisher : MIT Press
Page : 367 pages
File Size : 55,5 Mb
Release : 2011-10-28
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780262297905

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Carving Nature at Its Joints by Joseph Keim Campbell,Michael O'Rourke,Matthew H. Slater Pdf

Reflections on the metaphysics and epistemology of classification from a distinguished group of philosophers. Contemporary discussions of the success of science often invoke an ancient metaphor from Plato's Phaedrus: successful theories should "carve nature at its joints." But is nature really "jointed"? Are there natural kinds of things around which our theories cut? The essays in this volume offer reflections by a distinguished group of philosophers on a series of intertwined issues in the metaphysics and epistemology of classification. The contributors consider such topics as the relevance of natural kinds in inductive inference; the role of natural kinds in natural laws; the nature of fundamental properties; the naturalness of boundaries; the metaphysics and epistemology of biological kinds; and the relevance of biological kinds to certain questions in ethics. Carving Nature at Its Joints offers both breadth and thematic unity, providing a sampling of state-of-the-art work in contemporary analytic philosophy that will be of interest to a wide audience of scholars and students concerned with classification.

Natural Kinds

Terence Edward Wilkerson
Natural Kinds Book PDF

Author : Terence Edward Wilkerson
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 192 pages
File Size : 45,8 Mb
Release : 1995
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : UOM:39015034275142

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Natural Kinds by Terence Edward Wilkerson Pdf

What makes something the kind of thing it is? And do certain objects have a special status in the scheme of things? According to Aristotle, some things (and particularly plants and animals) are what they are in virtue of their intrinsic properties: in more modern terms, they are members of natural kinds and therefore have a special status. Furthermore, it is the job of the natural scientist to discover those intrinsic properties. In this work, the author defends a modern version of Aristotle's view. He carefully analyzes the notion of natural kind, and then uses it to attack a number of connected philosophical problems. He writes about the natural sciences, the social sciences, the nature of scientific laws, the semantics of general names, ontology and metaphysics, and the philosphy of biology.

The Metaphysics of Natural Kinds

Gbenga Fasiku
The Metaphysics of Natural Kinds Book PDF

Author : Gbenga Fasiku
Publisher : LAP Lambert Academic Publishing
Page : 252 pages
File Size : 52,7 Mb
Release : 2010-11
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 383836385X

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The Metaphysics of Natural Kinds by Gbenga Fasiku Pdf

How is it possible that things in the world are grouped together to form a 'kind'? Is it by nature or by convention? Do natural kind terms refer to natural kinds naturally or, do they refer to natural kinds depending upon their meanings, concepts, uses, etc? Do properties that define natural kinds do so necessarily or contingently, a priori or a posteriori? Are kind-defining properties human constructions, or are they a part of the fabric of the world, existing independently of human classificatory schemes, to be discovered, discussed and utilized by human beings? Do things exist in kinds, naturally, or are social constructions? These questions summarized the problem of natural kinds in metaphysics. This book provides an expository account of the essentialist arguments that justify the existence of natural kinds. It explores how biological taxonomy could support essentialism, thus opens up a debate in the philosophy of science about the reality of essential theoretical entities through which the existence of kinds in nature could be further established.

Natural Kinds and Classification in Scientific Practice

Catherine Kendig
Natural Kinds and Classification in Scientific Practice Book PDF

Author : Catherine Kendig
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 372 pages
File Size : 47,6 Mb
Release : 2015-12-22
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781317215424

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Natural Kinds and Classification in Scientific Practice by Catherine Kendig Pdf

This edited volume of 13 new essays aims to turn past discussions of natural kinds on their head. Instead of presenting a metaphysical view of kinds based largely on an unempirical vantage point, it pursues questions of kindedness which take the use of kinds and activities of kinding in practice as significant in the articulation of them as kinds. The book brings philosophical study of current and historical episodes and case studies from various scientific disciplines to bear on natural kinds as traditionally conceived of within metaphysics. Focusing on these practices reveals the different knowledge-producing activities of kinding and processes involved in natural kind use, generation, and discovery. Specialists in their field, the esteemed group of contributors use diverse empirically responsive approaches to explore the nature of kindhood. This groundbreaking volume presents detailed case studies that exemplify kinding in use. Newly written for this volume, each chapter engages with the activities of kinding across a variety of disciplines. Chapter topics include the nature of kinds, kindhood, kinding, and kind-making in linguistics, chemical classification, neuroscience, gene and protein classification, colour theory in applied mathematics, homology in comparative biology, sex and gender identity theory, memory research, race, extended cognition, symbolic algebra, cartography, and geographic information science. The volume seeks to open up an as-yet unexplored area within the emerging field of philosophy of science in practice, and constitutes a valuable addition to the disciplines of philosophy and history of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Metaphysics and Science

Stephen Mumford,Matthew Tugby
Metaphysics and Science Book PDF

Author : Stephen Mumford,Matthew Tugby
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 255 pages
File Size : 51,5 Mb
Release : 2013-06-27
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780199674527

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Metaphysics and Science by Stephen Mumford,Matthew Tugby Pdf

This collection brings together the latest new work within an emerging philosophical discipline: the metaphysics of science. A new definition of this line of philosophical enquiry is developed, and leading academics offer original essays on four key topics at the heart of the subject—laws, causation, natural kinds, and emergence.

Essays in Honor of Carl G. Hempel

N. Rescher
Essays in Honor of Carl G Hempel Book PDF

Author : N. Rescher
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 282 pages
File Size : 52,9 Mb
Release : 2013-03-09
Category : Science
ISBN : 9789401714662

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Essays in Honor of Carl G. Hempel by N. Rescher Pdf

The eminent philosopher of science Carl G. Hempel, Stuart Professor of Philosophy at Princeton University and a Past President of the American Philosophical Association, has had a long and distinguished academic career in the course of which he has been professorial mentor to some of America's most distinguished philosophers. This volume gathers together twelve original papers by Hempel's students and associates into a volume intended to do homage to Hempel on the occasion of his 65th year in 1970. The papers are grouped around the unifying topic of Hempel's own interests in logic and philosophy of science, the great majority dealing with issues on inductive logic and the theory of scientific explanatio- problems to which Hempel has devoted the bulk of his outstandingly fruitful efforts. With the approach of 'Peter' Hempel's 65th birthday, an editorial committee sprang into being by an uncannily spontaneous process to prepare to commemorate this event with an appropriate Festschrift. The editors were pleased to receive unfailingly prompt and efficient coopera tion on the part of all contributors. The responsibility of seeing the work through the press was assumed by Nicholas Rescher. The editors are grateful to all concerned for their collaboration. ALAN ROSS ANDERSON PAUL BENACERRAF ADOLF GRUNBAUM GERALD J. MASSEY NICHOLAS RESCHER RICHARD S. RUDNER TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE V PAUL OPPENHEIM: Reminiscences of Peter 1 w. v. QUINE: Natural Kinds 5 JAAKKO HINTIKKA: Inductive Independence and the Paradoxes of Confirmation 24 WESLEY c.

A Metaphysics for Scientific Realism

Anjan Chakravartty
A Metaphysics for Scientific Realism Book PDF

Author : Anjan Chakravartty
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 235 pages
File Size : 40,5 Mb
Release : 2007-10-18
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781139468398

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A Metaphysics for Scientific Realism by Anjan Chakravartty Pdf

Scientific realism is the view that our best scientific theories give approximately true descriptions of both observable and unobservable aspects of a mind-independent world. Debates between realists and their critics are at the very heart of the philosophy of science. Anjan Chakravartty traces the contemporary evolution of realism by examining the most promising strategies adopted by its proponents in response to the forceful challenges of antirealist sceptics, resulting in a positive proposal for scientific realism today. He examines the core principles of the realist position, and sheds light on topics including the varieties of metaphysical commitment required, and the nature of the conflict between realism and its empiricist rivals. By illuminating the connections between realist interpretations of scientific knowledge and the metaphysical foundations supporting them, his book offers a compelling vision of how realism can provide an internally consistent and coherent account of scientific knowledge.

Metaphysics of Science

Markus Schrenk
Metaphysics of Science Book PDF

Author : Markus Schrenk
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 500 pages
File Size : 45,9 Mb
Release : 2016-08-12
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781317273059

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Metaphysics of Science by Markus Schrenk Pdf

Metaphysics and science have a long but troubled relationship. In the twentieth century the Logical Positivists argued metaphysics was irrelevant and that philosophy should be guided by science. However, metaphysics and science attempt to answer many of the same, fundamental questions: What are laws of nature? What is causation? What are natural kinds? In this book, Markus Schrenk examines and explains the central questions and problems in the metaphysics of science. He reviews the development of the field from the early modern period through to the latest research, systematically assessing key topics including: dispositions counterfactual conditionals laws of nature causation properties natural kinds essence necessity. With the addition of chapter summaries and annotated further reading, Metaphysics of Science is a much-needed, clear and informative survey of this exciting area of philosophical research. It is essential reading for students and scholars of philosophy of science and metaphysics.

The Philosophy of Nature

Brian Ellis
The Philosophy of Nature Book PDF

Author : Brian Ellis
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 166 pages
File Size : 48,9 Mb
Release : 2014-12-18
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781317489498

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The Philosophy of Nature by Brian Ellis Pdf

In "The Philosophy of Nature," Brian Ellis provides a clear and forthright general summation of, and introduction to, the new essentialist position. Although the theory that the laws of nature are immanent in things, rather than imposed on them from without, is an ancient one, much recent work has been done to revive interest in essentialism and "The Philosophy of Nature" is a distinctive contribution to this lively current debate. Brian Ellis exposes the philosophical and scientific credentials of the prevailing Humean metaphysic as less than compelling and makes the case for new essentialism as an alternative metaphysical perspective in lucid and unambiguous terms. This book develops this alternative metaphysic and considers the consequences for philosophy, and for some other areas of investigation, of working with such a metaphysic. Ellis argues that these consequences are profound and that a new essentialism provides a comprehensive new philosophy of nature for a modern scientific understanding of the world.

Metaphysics of Natural Complexes

Justus Buchler
Metaphysics of Natural Complexes Book PDF

Author : Justus Buchler
Publisher : SUNY Press
Page : 352 pages
File Size : 52,9 Mb
Release : 1990-01-01
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 0791401839

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Metaphysics of Natural Complexes by Justus Buchler Pdf

During the past two decades Metaphysics of Natural Complexes has exerted a strong a growing influence on the continuing development of contemporary philosophy. This new and expanded edition acknowledges this influence and brings together much material. Included are the previously published articles “On the Concept of ‘the World,’” and “Probing the Idea of Nature,” which Buchler wrote subsequent to Metaphysics of Natural Complexes as extensions and completions of the system. Previously unpublished work on the key concept of contour has also been added. In addition there are excerpts from Buchler’s replies to his critics, a set of editors’ notes to facilitate cross-referencing, and an updated index. This work presents a bold and forceful metaphysics and general ontology. It provides a systematic framework for understanding the broadest features of the world and nature, and for locating our understanding of human nature, selfhood, and society as complexes in and of nature. Buchler’s detailed analysis of identity, ordinality, nature, world, and validation advance our understanding of the basic categories to be used in defining and exploring whatever is. Unlike other contemporary philosophers that confine themselves to narrowly defined problems in hermeneutics or theory of knowledge, Buchler is unrelenting in his drive toward a more encompassing perspective, simultaneously combining interpretive precision with sheer breadth of vision.

The Early Wittgenstein on Metaphysics, Natural Science, Language and Value

Chon Tejedor
The Early Wittgenstein on Metaphysics Natural Science Language and Value Book PDF

Author : Chon Tejedor
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 208 pages
File Size : 43,9 Mb
Release : 2014-09-04
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781317912118

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The Early Wittgenstein on Metaphysics, Natural Science, Language and Value by Chon Tejedor Pdf

This book advances a reading of Wittgenstein’s Tractatus that moves beyond the main interpretative options of the New Wittgenstein debate. It covers Wittgenstein’s approach to language and logic, as well as other areas unduly neglected in the literature, such as his treatment of metaphysics, the natural sciences and value. Tejedor re-contextualises Wittgenstein’s thinking in these areas, plotting its evolution in his diaries, correspondence and pre-Tractatus texts, and developing a fuller picture of its intellectual background. This broadening of the angle of view is central to the interpretative strategy of her book: only by looking at the Tractatus in this richer light can we address the fundamental questions posed by the New Wittgenstein debate – questions concerning the method of the Tractatus, its approach to nonsense and the continuity in Wittgenstein’s philosophy. Wittgenstein’s early work remains insightful, thought-inspiring and relevant to contemporary philosophy of language and science, metaphysics and ethics. Tejedor’s ground-breaking work ultimately conveys a surprisingly positive message concerning the power for ethical transformation that philosophy can have, when it is understood as an activity aimed at increasing conceptual clarification and awareness.

Natural Categories and Human Kinds

Muhammad Ali Khalidi
Natural Categories and Human Kinds Book PDF

Author : Muhammad Ali Khalidi
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 267 pages
File Size : 52,6 Mb
Release : 2013-05-16
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781107244597

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Natural Categories and Human Kinds by Muhammad Ali Khalidi Pdf

The notion of 'natural kinds' has been central to contemporary discussions of metaphysics and philosophy of science. Although explicitly articulated by nineteenth-century philosophers like Mill, Whewell and Venn, it has a much older history dating back to Plato and Aristotle. In recent years, essentialism has been the dominant account of natural kinds among philosophers, but the essentialist view has encountered resistance, especially among naturalist metaphysicians and philosophers of science. Informed by detailed examination of classification in the natural and social sciences, this book argues against essentialism and for a naturalist account of natural kinds. By looking at case studies drawn from diverse scientific disciplines, from fluid mechanics to virology and polymer science to psychiatry, the author argues that natural kinds are nodes in causal networks. On the basis of this account, he maintains that there can be natural kinds in the social sciences as well as the natural sciences.

Natural Kinds and Conceptual Change

Joseph LaPorte
Natural Kinds and Conceptual Change Book PDF

Author : Joseph LaPorte
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 233 pages
File Size : 55,6 Mb
Release : 2003-12-08
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781107320406

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Natural Kinds and Conceptual Change by Joseph LaPorte Pdf

According to the received tradition, the language used to to refer to natural kinds in scientific discourse remains stable even as theories about these kinds are refined. In this illuminating book, Joseph LaPorte argues that scientists do not discover that sentences about natural kinds, like 'Whales are mammals, not fish', are true rather than false. Instead, scientists find that these sentences were vague in the language of earlier speakers and they refine the meanings of the relevant natural-kind terms to make the sentences true. Hence, scientists change the meaning of these terms, This conclusions prompts LaPorte to examine the consequences of this change in meaning for the issue of incommensurability and for the progress of science. This book will appeal to students and professional in the philosophy of science, the philosophy of biology and the philosophy of language.

Artefact Kinds

Maarten Franssen,Peter Kroes,Thomas A.C. Reydon,Pieter E. Vermaas
Artefact Kinds Book PDF

Author : Maarten Franssen,Peter Kroes,Thomas A.C. Reydon,Pieter E. Vermaas
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 225 pages
File Size : 49,9 Mb
Release : 2013-10-04
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9783319008011

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Artefact Kinds by Maarten Franssen,Peter Kroes,Thomas A.C. Reydon,Pieter E. Vermaas Pdf

This book is concerned with two intimately related topics of metaphysics: the identity of entities and the foundations of classification. What it adds to previous discussions of these topics is that it addresses them with respect to human-made entities, that is, artefacts. As the chapters in the book show, questions of identity and classification require other treatments and lead to other answers for artefacts than for natural entities. These answers are of interest to philosophers not only for their clarification of artefacts as a category of things but also for the new light they may shed on these issue with respect to to natural entities. This volume is structured in three parts. The contributions in Part I address basic ontological and metaphysical questions in relation to artefact kinds: How should we conceive of artefact kinds? Are they real kinds? How are identity conditions for artefacts and artefact kinds related? The contributions in Part II address meta-ontological questions: What, exactly, should an ontological account of artefact kinds provide us with? What scope can it aim for? Which ways of approaching the ontology of artefact kinds are there, how promising are they, and how should we assess this? In Part III, the essays offer engineering practice rather than theoretical philosophy as a point of reference. The issues addressed here include: How do engineers classify technical artefacts and on what grounds? What makes specific classes of technical artefacts candidates for ontologically real kinds, and by which criteria?​