Robert Boyle and Natural Kinds

• Published in: Journal of the American Philosophical Association Vol. 9; no. 3; pp. 554 - 573
• Main Authors: ADRIAENSSEN, HAN THOMAS, NAUTA, LODI
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge Cambridge University Press 01.09.2023
• Subjects: Classification; Philosophy; Realism

This paper studies Robert Boyle's account of kinds and classification. A number of commentators have argued that, for Boyle, classifications are inevitably the product of conventions. Others have challenged this reading, arguing that, according to Boyle, the corpuscular makeup of bodies gives r...