Laws of nature Tyler Hildebrand, Dalhousie University

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hildebrand, Tyler, author.

Series:

Cambridge elements. Elements in metaphysics 2633-9862

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Physical laws.

Metaphysics.

metaphysics.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Place of Publication:

Cambridge New York Cambridge University Press 2023

Summary:

"This Element provides an opinionated introduction to the metaphysics of laws of nature"-- Provided by publisher

Contents:

Cover

Title page

Copyright page

Laws of Nature

Contents

1 Introduction

1.1 Scientific vs. Metaphysical Questions about Laws

1.2 Philosophical Method

1.3 Why Care?

2 Humeanism

2.1 The Humean Mosaic

2.2 The Naïve Regularity Theory

2.3 Extensional Problems for the Naïve Regularity Theory

2.4 The Humean Best Systems Account

2.5 Some Virtues of the Humean BSA

2.6 Extensional Problems for the BSA

2.7 A Puzzle Concerning the Language of Systematization

2.7.1 Solution 1: Naturalness Constraints on Best Systems

2.7.2 Solution 2: Pragmatic Constraints on Best Systems

2.8 Humeanism and Laws in the Special Sciences

2.9 Conclusion

3 Objections to Humeanism

3.1 Laws govern

3.2 Laws Support Counterfactuals

3.3 Laws Explain Regularities and/or Their Instances

3.4 Laws Support Induction

3.5 Conclusion

4 Non-Humean Theories of Laws

4.1 Introduction

4.2 Four Important Theories

4.2.1 Divine Voluntarism

4.2.2 Primitivism

4.2.3 DTA: External Relations between Universals

4.2.4 Dispositionalism

4.4 Conclusion

5 Conceptual Objections to Non-Humeanism

5.1 Modal Primitives are Unintelligible

5.2 The Inference Problem

5.3 One Last Conceptual Objection

5.4 Conclusion

6 Further Problems for Non-Humean Theories

6.1 Problems for Property-Based Theories of Laws

6.1.1 Functional Laws

6.1.2 Conservation Laws

6.1.3 Special Science Laws

6.1.4 Recap

6.2 Problems for Divine Voluntarism and Primitivism

6.3 Conclusion

7 The Explanatory Argument for Non-Humeanism

7.1 Introduction

7.2 A Toy Example

7.3 The Explanatory Argument

7.4 Two Explanatory Problems

7.5 Conclusion

8 Epistemological and Methodological Issues

8.1 Method in Metaphysics

8.2 Epistemological Objections to Non-Humeanism

8.2.1 A New Worry about Explanatory Arguments

8.2.2 A Further Layer of Underdetermination?

8.3 An Epistemological Objection to Humeanism

8.4 Conclusion

9 An Alternative to Humeanism and Non-Humeanism

9.1 Motivating Humeanism, or Something Else?

9.2 Minimalism about Laws

9.3 Lessons and Applications

9.4 Conclusion

References

Acknowledgments

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references

Description based on print version record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed

Other Format:

Print version Hildebrand, Tyler. Laws of nature

ISBN:

9781009109949

1009109944

OCLC:

1376020347

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license