Ideas of Joseph Almog, by Theme

[American, fl. 2010, Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles.]

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5. Theory of Logic / K. Features of Logics / 6. Compactness
If a concept is not compact, it will not be presentable to finite minds
6. Mathematics / A. Nature of Mathematics / 3. Nature of Numbers / d. Natural numbers
The number series is primitive, not the result of some set theoretic axioms
9. Objects / D. Essence of Objects / 4. Essence as Definition
Definitionalists rely on snapshot-concepts, instead of on the real processes
Fregean meanings are analogous to conceptual essence, defining a kind
Essential definition aims at existence conditions and structural truths
Surface accounts aren't exhaustive as they always allow unintended twin cases
9. Objects / D. Essence of Objects / 10. Essence as Species
Alien 'tigers' can't be tigers if they are not related to our tigers
9. Objects / D. Essence of Objects / 13. Nominal Essence
Kripke and Putnam offer an intermediary between real and nominal essences
9. Objects / D. Essence of Objects / 15. Against Essentialism
Individual essences are just cobbled together classificatory predicates
18. Thought / C. Content / 5. Twin Earth
Water must be related to water, just as tigers must be related to tigers
26. Natural Theory / D. Laws of Nature / 8. Scientific Essentialism / e. Anti scientific essentialism
Defining an essence comes no where near giving a thing's nature
Essences promise to reveal reality, but actually drive us away from it