Counterfactuals, Laws of Nature, and Scientific Essentialism

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Mofidi Astaneh, Saeed | 2019

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Type of Document: M.Sc. Thesis
Language: Farsi
Document No: 52283 (42)
University: Sharif University of Technology
Department: Philosophy of Science
Advisor(s): Akbari Takhtameshlou, Javad
Abstract:
Scientific Essentialism is a relatively new theory which aims to give fruitful answers to some of the major problems of philosophy of science by using a rich background of essentialist metaphysics and discoveries of the Modern Science. This thesis particularly explores Scientific Essentialism’s answer to the interwoven problems of Laws of Nature and Counterfactual Conditionals. First of all, it seems that Scientific Essentialism is able to solve the problem of Laws of Nature without encountering the difficulties which other theories had. Also, being rich in metaphysics enables Scientific Essentialism to provide a considerable solution to the problem of Counterfactual Conditionals. Finally, establishing laws upon essentialist metaphysics gives a suitable explanation of the relation between these two important philosophical problems. This Thesis tries to review major aspects of Scientific Essentialism and evaluate its solution for the problems of Laws of Nature and Counterfactual Conditionals
Keywords:
Scientific Essentialism ; Nature Law ; Counterfactual Condition ; Natural Kinds ; Dispositional Essentialism ; Dispositional Properties

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