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Ideas for 'Parmenides', 'Philosophy of Science' and 'Metaphysics'

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52 ideas

26. Natural Theory / A. Speculations on Nature / 1. Nature
632 Why are some things destructible and others not? [Aristotle]
26. Natural Theory / A. Speculations on Nature / 2. Natural Purpose / a. Final purpose
626 Everything is arranged around a single purpose [Aristotle]
26. Natural Theory / A. Speculations on Nature / 4. Mathematical Nature
17858 Pythagoreans say the whole universe is made of numbers [Aristotle]
26. Natural Theory / A. Speculations on Nature / 6. Early Matter Theories / a. Greek matter
12299 Aristotle had a hierarchical conception of matter [Aristotle, by Fine,K]
601 Substance must exist, because something must endure during change between opposites [Aristotle]
10955 Matter is perceptible (like bronze) or intelligible (like mathematical objects) [Aristotle]
16590 Matter is neither a particular thing nor a member of a determinate category [Aristotle]
12001 Aristotle says matter is a lesser substance, rather than wholly denying that it is a substance [Aristotle, by Kung]
26. Natural Theory / A. Speculations on Nature / 6. Early Matter Theories / b. Prime matter
12868 Ultimate matter is discredited, as Aristotle merged substratum of change with bearer of properties [Simons on Aristotle]
15954 Aristotle may only have believed in prime matter because his elements were immutable [Aristotle, by Alexander,P]
16099 The traditional view of Aristotle is God (actual form) at top and prime matter (potential matter) at bottom [Aristotle, by Gill,ML]
15771 Primary matter is what characterises other stuffs, and it has no distinct identity [Aristotle]
26. Natural Theory / A. Speculations on Nature / 6. Early Matter Theories / d. The unlimited
225 The unlimited has no shape and is endless [Plato]
26. Natural Theory / A. Speculations on Nature / 6. Early Matter Theories / e. The One
616 It doesn't explain the world to say it was originally all one. How did it acquire diversity? [Aristotle]
233 Some things do not partake of the One [Plato]
2062 The only movement possible for the One is in space or in alteration [Plato]
231 Everything partakes of the One in some way [Plato]
26. Natural Theory / A. Speculations on Nature / 6. Early Matter Theories / f. Ancient elements
16098 I claim that Aristotle's foundation is the four elements, and not wholly potential prime matter [Aristotle, by Gill,ML]
26. Natural Theory / B. Natural Kinds / 1. Natural Kinds
10952 Unusual kinds like mule are just a combination of two kinds [Aristotle]
6776 Natural kinds are those that we use in induction [Bird]
6767 Rubies and sapphires are both corundum, with traces of metals varying their colours [Bird]
6768 Tin is not one natural kind, but appears to be 21, depending on isotope [Bird]
6770 Membership of a purely random collection cannot be used as an explanation [Bird]
6771 Natural kinds may overlap, or be sub-kinds of one another [Bird]
26. Natural Theory / B. Natural Kinds / 2. Defining Kinds
6773 If F is a universal appearing in a natural law, then Fs form a natural kind [Bird]
26. Natural Theory / B. Natural Kinds / 3. Knowing Kinds
6769 In the Kripke-Putnam view only nuclear physicists can know natural kinds [Bird]
6774 Darwinism suggests that we should have a native ability to detect natural kinds [Bird]
26. Natural Theory / B. Natural Kinds / 5. Reference to Natural Kinds
6764 Nominal essence of a natural kind is the features that make it fit its name [Bird]
6766 Jadeite and nephrite are superficially identical, but have different composition [Bird]
6808 Reference to scientific terms is by explanatory role, not by descriptions [Bird]
26. Natural Theory / C. Causation / 4. Naturalised causation
561 Is there cause outside matter, and can it be separated, and is it one or many? [Aristotle]
26. Natural Theory / C. Causation / 8. Particular Causation / c. Conditions of causation
588 We exercise to be fit, but need fitness to exercise [Aristotle]
26. Natural Theory / C. Causation / 9. General Causation / b. Nomological causation
6753 Laws are more fundamental in science than causes, and laws will explain causes [Bird]
634 Pure Forms and numbers can't cause anything, and especially not movement [Aristotle]
26. Natural Theory / C. Causation / 9. General Causation / d. Causal necessity
14543 When a power and its object meet in the right conditions, an action necessarily follows [Aristotle]
26. Natural Theory / D. Laws of Nature / 1. Laws of Nature
6762 Newton's laws cannot be confirmed individually, but only in combinations [Bird]
6763 Parapsychology is mere speculation, because it offers no mechanisms for its working [Bird]
6772 Existence requires laws, as inertia or gravity are needed for mass or matter [Bird]
26. Natural Theory / D. Laws of Nature / 4. Regularities / a. Regularity theory
6740 'All uranium lumps are small' is a law, but 'all gold lumps are small' is not [Bird]
6741 There can be remarkable uniformities in nature that are purely coincidental [Bird]
6742 A law might have no instances, if it was about things that only exist momentarily [Bird]
6743 If laws are just instances, the law should either have gaps, or join the instances arbitrarily [Bird]
6744 Where is the regularity in a law predicting nuclear decay? [Bird]
6747 Laws cannot explain instances if they are regularities, as something can't explain itself [Bird]
6746 There may be many laws, each with only a few instances [Bird]
6748 Similar appearance of siblings is a regularity, but shared parents is what links them [Bird]
6749 We can only infer a true regularity if something binds the instances together [Bird]
6803 If we only infer laws from regularities among observations, we can't infer unobservable entities. [Bird]
6801 Accidental regularities are not laws, and an apparent regularity may not be actual [Bird]
26. Natural Theory / D. Laws of Nature / 4. Regularities / b. Best system theory
6745 A regularity is only a law if it is part of a complete system which is simple and strong [Bird]
6802 With strange enough predicates, anything could be made out to be a regularity [Bird]
26. Natural Theory / D. Laws of Nature / 8. Scientific Essentialism / d. Knowing essences
6789 If flame colour is characteristic of a metal, that is an empirical claim needing justification [Bird]