Drewery, Alice (2004) A note on science and essentialism. THEORIA. An International Journal for Theory, History and Foundations of Science, 19 (3). pp. 311-320. ISSN 2171-679X

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Abstract

This paper discusses recent attempts to use essentialist arguments based on the work of Kripke and Putnam to ground causal necessity in the world. I argue in particular that a recent argument by Alexander Bird relies on controversial intuitions about the natures of substances which no Humean would accept. While a case can be made that essentialism reflects some assumptions within scientific practice, the same can be said of Humeanism, and ultimately neither Bird’s arguments, nor any empirical facts, can decide the question either way.

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Item Type:	Published Article or Volume
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Drewery, Alice a.e.drewery@reading.ac.uk
Additional Information:	ISSN: 0495-4548 (print)
Keywords:	philosophy of science, metaphysics, essentialism, laws of nature, Humeanism, dispositions
Depositing User:	Users 15304 not found.
Date Deposited:	11 Mar 2014 18:02
Last Modified:	11 Mar 2014 18:02
Item ID:	10496
Journal or Publication Title:	THEORIA. An International Journal for Theory, History and Foundations of Science
Publisher:	Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea / Universidad del País Vasco
Official URL:	http://www.ehu.es/ojs/index.php/THEORIA/article/vi...
DOI or Unique Handle:	10.1387/theoria.584
Date:	September 2004
Page Range:	pp. 311-320
Volume:	19
Number:	3
ISSN:	2171-679X
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/10496

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