The philosophy of nature a guide to the new essentialism

• Published in: The philosophy of nature
• Main Author: Ellis, Brian
• Format: eBook
• Language: English
• Published: Montreal [Que.] McGill-Queen's University Press 2002; Routledge; Taylor and Francis; MQUP; Taylor & Francis Group; Acumen
• Edition: 1
• Subjects: Essence (Philosophy); Essentialism (Philosophy); Necessity (Philosophy); Philosophy; Philosophy of nature; Intrinsic Causal Powers; metaphysical; Planck's Law; Orbital Angular Momentum; Inanimate Brute Matter; kinds; Lockean Primary Qualities; Humean Regularity Theory; Causal Powers; Twin Earth; causal; Natural Necessitation; Nominal Essence; Natural Kinds Structure; Protective Belt; Copper Atom; Free Agents; natural; Divine Command Theory; Dispositional Properties; Van Der Waals's Equation; Manifest Image; Formal Logical Truth; Objective Causal Powers; Make Ups; Physico Mathematical Sciences; intrinsic; Natural Kinds; Genuine Causal Powers; Metaphysical Backing; dispositional; powers; properties; necessity; essential
• ISBN: 0773581715; 9780773581715; 9781902683614; 1902683617; 9781902683621; 1902683625; 0773524738; 9780773524736
• DOI: 10.4324/9781315710624

In "The Philosophy of Nature," Brian Ellis provides a clear and forthright general summation of, and introduction to, the new essentialist position. Although the theory that the laws of nature are immanent in things, rather than imposed on them from without, is an ancient one, much recent work has been done to revive interest in essentialism and "The Philosophy of Nature" is a distinctive contribution to this lively current debate. Brian Ellis exposes the philosophical and scientific credentials of the prevailing Humean metaphysic as less than compelling and makes the case for new essentialism as an alternative metaphysical perspective in lucid and unambiguous terms. This book develops this alternative metaphysic and considers the consequences for philosophy, and for some other areas of investigation, of working with such a metaphysic. Ellis argues that these consequences are profound and that a new essentialism provides a comprehensive new philosophy of nature for a modern scientific understanding of the world.