Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-g8jcs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T05:11:00.171Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Chapter 6 - Are any kinds ontologically fundamental?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 December 2011

By
Alexander Bird
Edited by
Tuomas E. Tahko
Tuomas E. Tahko
Affiliation:
University of Helsinki
Get access

Summary

Introduction

Are any natural kinds ontologically fundamental? This question may be put in a different way: do we need a category of kinds? We use kind terms in a name-like way, and we can count kinds (‘there are 92 naturally occurring chemical elements’). But if we look at the fundamental constituents of the states-of-affairs that involve kinds, do we find entities that are the natural kinds?

Whereas David Armstrong takes a reductive attitude towards natural kinds, E. J. Lowe regards kinds as ontologically fundamental. His ontology requires four categories, one of which is reserved for the natural kinds – substantial universals as he calls them.

Keywords

David ArmstrongE. J. Lowefundamental structureontologymetaphysical problemslaws of nature
Type
Chapter
Information
Contemporary Aristotelian Metaphysics , pp. 94 - 104
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×