Dispositionalism

Dispositionalism
Author: Anne Sophie Meincke
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 255
Release: 2020-04-08
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 303028722X

According to dispositional realism, or dispositionalism, the entities inhabiting our world possess irreducibly dispositional properties – often called ‘powers’ – by means of which they are sources of change. Dispositionalism has become increasingly popular among metaphysicians in the last three decades as it offers a realist account of causation and provides novel avenues for understanding modality, laws of nature, agency, free will and other key concepts in metaphysics. At the same time, it is receiving growing interest among philosophers of science. This reflects the substantial role scientific findings play in arguments for dispositionalism which, as a metaphysics of science, aims to unveil the very foundations of science. The present collection of essays brings together both strands of interest. It elucidates the ontological profile of dispositionalism by exploring its ontological commitments, and it discusses these from the perspective of the philosophy of science. The essays are written by both proponents of dispositionalism and sceptics so as to initiate an open-minded, constructive dialogue.

Dispositionalism and the Metaphysics of Science

Dispositionalism and the Metaphysics of Science
Author: Travis Dumsday
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 231
Release: 2021-04-08
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 9781108727068

Dispositionalism is the view that causal powers are among the irreducible properties of nature. It has long been among the core competing positions in the metaphysics of laws, but its potential implications for other key debates within metaphysics and the philosophy of science have remained under-explored. Travis Dumsday fills this major gap in the literature by establishing new connections between dispositionalism and such topics as substance ontology, ontic structural realism, material composition, emergentism, natural-kind essentialism, perdurantism, time travel, and spacetime substantivalism. He also puts forward a novel view concerning the precise relationship between causal powers and the fundamental laws of nature. His rich and accessible study will appeal to readers interested in contemporary analytic metaphysics and philosophy of science.

Dispositionalism and the Metaphysics of Science

Dispositionalism and the Metaphysics of Science
Author: Travis Dumsday
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 233
Release: 2019-01-24
Genre: History
ISBN: 1108480136

Establishes new connections between dispositionalism and a variety of debates in contemporary analytic metaphysics and philosophy of science.

Rethinking Causality, Complexity and Evidence for the Unique Patient

Rethinking Causality, Complexity and Evidence for the Unique Patient
Author: Rani Lill Anjum
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 252
Release: 2020-06-02
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 3030412393

This open access book is a unique resource for health professionals who are interested in understanding the philosophical foundations of their daily practice. It provides tools for untangling the motivations and rationality behind the way medicine and healthcare is studied, evaluated and practiced. In particular, it illustrates the impact that thinking about causation, complexity and evidence has on the clinical encounter. The book shows how medicine is grounded in philosophical assumptions that could at least be challenged. By engaging with ideas that have shaped the medical profession, clinicians are empowered to actively take part in setting the premises for their own practice and knowledge development. Written in an engaging and accessible style, with contributions from experienced clinicians, this book presents a new philosophical framework that takes causal complexity, individual variation and medical uniqueness as default expectations for health and illness.

On the Genealogy of Color

On the Genealogy of Color
Author: Zed Adams
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 164
Release: 2015-10-16
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1317401891

In On the Genealogy of Color, Zed Adams argues for a historicized approach to conceptual analysis, by exploring the relevance of the history of color science for contemporary philosophical debates about color realism. Adams contends that two prominent positions in these debates, Cartesian anti-realism and Oxford realism, are both predicated on the assumption that the concept of color is ahistorical and unrevisable. Adams takes issue with this premise by offering a philosophical genealogy of the concept of color. This book makes a significant contribution to recent debates on philosophical methodology by demonstrating the efficacy of using the genealogical method to explore philosophical concepts, and will appeal to philosophers of perception, philosophers of mind, and metaphysicians.

Primary and Secondary Qualities

Primary and Secondary Qualities
Author: Lawrence Nolan
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 415
Release: 2011-04-07
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0199556156

Fourteen new essays trace the historical development of the distinction between primary and secondary qualities, a key topic in metaphysics, epistemology, and philosophy of perception. The volume starts with the ancient Greeks, discusses virtually all major figures of the early modern era, and reflects on the place of the topic in philosophy today.

Color: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide

Color: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide
Author: Berit Brogaard
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 32
Release: 2010-06
Genre:
ISBN: 019981029X

This ebook is a selective guide designed to help scholars and students of social work find reliable sources of information by directing them to the best available scholarly materials in whatever form or format they appear from books, chapters, and journal articles to online archives, electronic data sets, and blogs. Written by a leading international authority on the subject, the ebook provides bibliographic information supported by direct recommendations about which sources to consult and editorial commentary to make it clear how the cited sources are interrelated related. This ebook is a static version of an article from Oxford Bibliographies Online: Philosophy, a dynamic, continuously updated, online resource designed to provide authoritative guidance through scholarship and other materials relevant to the study Philosophy. Oxford Bibliographies Online covers most subject disciplines within the social science and humanities, for more information visit www.oxfordbibligraphies.com.

Properties, Powers and Structures

Properties, Powers and Structures
Author: Alexander Bird
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 281
Release: 2013-03-01
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1136345728

While the phrase "metaphysics of science" has been used from time to time, it has only recently begun to denote a specific research area where metaphysics meets philosophy of science—and the sciences themselves. The essays in this volume demonstrate that metaphysics of science is an innovative field of research in its own right. The principle areas covered are: The modal metaphysics of properties: What is the essential nature of natural properties? Are all properties essentially categorical? Are they all essentially dispositions, or are some categorical and others dispositional? Realism in mathematics and its relation to science: What does a naturalistic commitment of scientific realism tell us about our commitments to mathematical entities? Can this question be framed in something other than a Quinean philosophy? Dispositions and their relation to causation: Can we generate an account of causation that takes dispositionality as fundamental? And if we take dispositions as fundamental (and hence not having a categorical causal basis), what is the ontological ground of dispositions? Pandispositionalism: Could all properties be dispositional in nature? Natural kinds: Are there natural kinds, and if so what account of their nature should we give? For example, do they have essences? Here we consider how these issues may be illuminated by considering examples from reals science, in particular biochemistry and neurobiology.

Metaphysics of Science

Metaphysics of Science
Author: Markus Schrenk
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 321
Release: 2016-08-12
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1317273052

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.