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385Scientific Practice and the Disunity of PhysicsPhilosophia Naturalis 35 (1): 209-222. 1998.It is my aim in this paper to look at some of the arguments that are brought forward for or against certain claims to unity/disunity (in particular to examine those arguments from science and from scientific practice) in order to evaluate whether they really show what they claim to. This presupposes that the concept or rather the concepts of the unity of physics are reasonably clear. Three concepts of unity can be identified: (1) ontological unity, which refers to the objects physics is about; …Read more
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901Causation, Laws and DispositionsIn Max Kistler & Bruno Gnassounou (eds.), Dispositions and Causal Powers, Ashgate. 2007.In this paper I take a look at what I take to be the best argument for dispositions. According to this argument we need dispositions in order to understand certain features of scientific practice. I point out that these dispositions have to be continuously manifestable. Furthermore I will argue that dispositions are not the causes of their manifestations. However, dispositions and causation are closely connected. What it is to be a cause can best be understood in terms of counterfactuals that …Read more
Köln, NRW, Germany
Areas of Specialization
Metaphysics |
General Philosophy of Science |
17th/18th Century Philosophy |