Unorthodox Humeanism (eBook)

Georg Sparber (Autor)

eBook Download: PDF

2009
226 Seiten
De Gruyter (Verlag)
978-3-11-032398-6 (ISBN)

Infos

The book discusses contemporary metaphysics of science and deals with the central question which ontology fits best with our knowledge of the world. Two competing positions in today's metaphysics of science are analysed: Humeanism and dispositionalism. There are physical and metaphysical arguments to show that orthodox Humeanism is in trouble. The unorthodox metaphysical turn consists in taking the fundamental properties to be relations rather than intrinsic properties. The book spells out in detail what an unorthodox version of Humeanism amounts to and shows that in turning unorthodox Humeanism offers a competitive metaphysical framework for science without commitment to irreducible causation.

Inhalt

The nature of fundamental properties 11
Chapter 1 - Orthodox Humeanism on laws of nature andcausation 19
1.1 The ontology 20
1.2 Humean laws of nature 24
1.3 Humean laws of nature at work 27
1.4 Humean causation 35
1.4.1 The regularity theory 36
1.4.2 Counterfactual theories of causation 38
1.4.3 Counterfactual theories of causation amended 45
1.4.3.1 Preemption and causation as influence 45
1.4.3.2 The non-su ciency challenge: causation by omissions 52
1.4.3.3 The non-necessity challenge: no alterations available 54
1.4.4 Regular causation vs. counterfactual causation 57
1.4.5 Humean causation in the mental domain 64
Chapter 2 - 
71 
2.1 The ontology 71
2.1.1 Metaphysical necessity 72
2.1.2 Defining dispositionalism and categorialism 74
2.1.3 The intrinsity of dispositions 78
2.1.4 Variations of dispositionalism 82
2.1.5 The prima facie plausibility of dispositionalism 86
2.2 The conceptual level of dispositional predicates 89
2.2.1 Semantic reductionism of dispositional predicates 89
2.2.1.1 Finkish dispositions 91
2.2.1.2 A counterfactual analysis for all predicates 97
2.2.1.3 Ontological elimination of dispositions 99
2.2.2 Counterfactuals for dispositionalists 100
2.3 Dispositionalist laws of nature 104
2.3.1 Strict laws of nature and ceteris paribus laws of nature 104
2.3.2 Probabilistic laws of nature 108
2.3.3 Truthmakers of uninstantiated laws of nature 112
Chapter 3 - 
117 
3.1 Advantages of Humeanism 117
3.2 Challenges for Humeanism 120
3.2.1 Pre-philosophical intuitions against Humeanism 121
3.2.1.1 The status of Humean regularities 121
3.2.1.2 Humeanism and the dynamic world 125
3.2.2 Epistemological challenges 127
3.2.2.1 Explanation of regularities and property instances 128
3.2.2.2 Conservative reductionism 132
3.2.2.3 The ungrounded argument 141
3.2.2.4 The argument from humility 145
3.2.2.5 The argument from quidditism 148
Chapter 4 - 
155 
4.1 The unorthodox turn 157
4.1.1 Physical reasons in favour of an unorthodox ontology 159
4.1.2 The metaphysical principles of an unorthodox ontology 166
4.2 Humean and dispositionalist structural realism 173
4.3 Unorthodox Humean metaphysics of causation 178
4.3.1 Regularities and laws of nature in unorthodox Humeanism 179
4.3.2 Counterfactual accounts on causation in unorthodox Humeanism 183
4.4 The arguments against Humeanism in a new light 189
4.4.1 Quidditism 190
4.4.2 Humility 194
4.5 A new challenge for Humeanism: anti-realism 197
Humean metaphysics of causation asinformed of contemporary science 215
Bibliography 217
Index 227
Blank Page 8

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 2.5.2013
• Reihe/Serie: ISSN
• Reihe/Serie: ISSN
• Reihe/Serie: Logos
• Reihe/Serie: Logos
• Verlagsort: Berlin/Boston
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Philosophie ► Allgemeines / Lexika
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Philosophie ► Metaphysik / Ontologie
• Schlagworte: Hume • Ontologie • Philosophie
• ISBN-10: 3-11-032398-2 / 3110323982
• ISBN-13: 978-3-11-032398-6 / 9783110323986