Single Idea 14294

[catalogued under 8. Modes of Existence / C. Powers and Dispositions / 2. Powers as Basic]

Full Idea

Dispositions are attacked as either just saying how something will behave (logical fictions about regularities of events), or as primitive pre-scientific terms like 'phlogiston', place-holders used when we are ignorant of real properties.

Gist of Idea

Dispositions are attacked as mere regularities of events, or place-holders for unknown properties

Source

Stephen Mumford (Dispositions [1998], 01.1)

Book Reference

Mumford,Stephen: 'Dispositions' [OUP 1998], p.4


A Reaction

[compressed] The first view he calls the Ryle-Wittgenstein view, which seems to track back to Hume.