Putting properties first : a platonic metaphysics for natural modality / Matthew Tugby.
This philosophical work is about the metaphysical preconditions of natural science. It develops and defends a new metaphysical theory of natural modality called 'Modal Platonism', which puts properties first in the metaphysical hierarchy. According to this theory, natural properties-such a...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Ebook |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Oxford ; New York, NY :
Oxford University Press,
2022.
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| Edition: | First edition. |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Click here to view this book |
| Summary: | This philosophical work is about the metaphysical preconditions of natural science. It develops and defends a new metaphysical theory of natural modality called 'Modal Platonism', which puts properties first in the metaphysical hierarchy. According to this theory, natural properties-such as mass and charge-are ontologically fundamental entities which ground the laws of nature and the dispositions of things. The theory differs from other 'properties-first' approaches in two main ways. First, it views properties as Platonic universals, which exist even if they are not instantiated. Second, the theory rejects the popular idea that properties are identical with, or essentially dependent upon, dispositions. Instead, Modal Platonism views properties as qualities which necessarily ground dispositions and other modal phenomena. This theory, it is argued, solves a range of puzzles regarding dispositions and laws. Given that natural modality is a necessary precondition for scientific enquiry, Modal Platonism promises to provide a plausible metaphysical framework for all natural science. |
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| Physical Description: | 1 online resource (304 pages) : illustrations |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: | 0192597280 9780192597281 |