Agency, Force, and Inertia in Descartes and Hobbes

2021 ◽  
pp. 94-120
Author(s):  
Deborah Brown
Keyword(s):  
David Lewis ◽  
The Real ◽  
Natural Laws ◽  
Nancy Cartwright ◽  
Ontological Framework

Deborah Brown looks at how Hobbes and Descartes used the language of ‘tendency’ in their natural philosophies. She contrasts the problems that arise for Hobbes as he tries to reduce tendencies away with a Descartes, for whom ‘tendency talk is not a mere façon de parler’ but rather is ‘real and causally explanatory’, and who strives to incorporate inherent tendencies into his broader mechanistic ontological framework. The resulting interpretation of Descartes sees him as much closer in his conception of natural laws to Nancy Cartwright than to David Lewis. One of the real benefits of this interpretation, claims Brown, is that it ‘might just help to demystify Descartes’s references to active forces’. Having thus establishing that Descartes was a realist about tendencies who nevertheless remained committed to a non-teleological, mechanistic account of nature, Brown contrasts this Cartesian picture with Hobbes’s reductive mechanics that eliminated forces and tendencies by equating them with actual motions, including even the ‘force of a body at rest’.

scholarly journals Rational Reasons, Counterfactual Statements and “Impossible Worlds” in the Philosophical Justifications of Thought Experiments

2022 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 33-43
Author(s):  
V. N. Karpovich
Keyword(s):  
David Lewis ◽  
Thought Experiments ◽  
Impossible Worlds ◽  
Philosophical Discourse ◽  
Natural Laws ◽  
Classical Negation ◽  
The World

In his theory of natural laws David Lewis rejects the authenticity of impossible worlds on the grounds that the contradiction contained within his modifier "in (the world) w" is tantamount to a contradiction in the whole theory, which seems unacceptable. At the same time, in philosophical discourse very often researchers use counterfactual situations and thought experiments with impossible events and objects. There is a need to apply the theory of worlds to genuine, concrete, but impossible worlds. One way to do this is to reject Lewis's classical negation on the grounds that it leads to problems of completeness and inconsistency inside the worlds. The proposed extension for impossibility is compatible with Lewis's extensional metaphysics, although it leads to some loss for description completeness in semantics.

scholarly journals CAUSALIDADE, CONTRAFACTUAIS E LEIS

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (141) ◽  
pp. 89
Author(s):  
Tulio Roberto Xavier de Aguiar
Keyword(s):  
David Lewis ◽  
Causal Relationships ◽  
Natural Laws ◽  
Counterfactual Theory

Resumo: Examino, neste artigo, a teoria contrafactual da causação de David Lewis, mostrando seu duplo aspecto como análise do conceito de causação e como investigação do que causação é na realidade. Eu comparo a teoria lewisiana com a teoria humiana da causação, enfatizando o papel diferente que as leis naturais têm em cada sistema e argumento que a teoria contrafactual tem maior sensibilidade para capturar os variados graus de contingência das relações causais.Abstract: In this article, I examine the counterfactual theory of causation of David Lewis, showing its dual aspect as analysis of the concept of causation and as research of what causation really is. I compare the Lewisian theory with Hume’s theory of causation, emphasizing the different role natural laws play in each system and argue that the counterfactual theory is more sensitive to capture the varied degrees of contingency of causal relationships.

Powers in Contemporary Philosophy

2021 ◽  
pp. 271-294
Author(s):  
Jennifer McKitrick
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
David Lewis ◽  
Conditional Analysis ◽  
Substantial Part ◽  
Contemporary Philosophy ◽  
Natural Laws ◽  
Fundamental Particles ◽  
Temporal Properties ◽  
Conditional Statements ◽  
David Armstrong

Four metaphysicians, Charlie Martin, David Lewis, David Armstrong, and George Molnar, offer distinctive approaches to understanding powers. Martin challenges the widely held view that disposition statements can be eliminated in favor of conditional statements. The apparent failure of the conditional analysis clears the path for Martin’s idea that all properties have some degree of irreducible dispositionality. Lewis takes on Martin’s challenge and offers his reformed conditional analysis. This analysis does not purport to eliminate talk of dispositions, but instead metaphysically reduces dispositions to their causal bases. Armstrong also reduces dispositions, but he reduces them to categorical universals governed by natural laws. Molnar argues that each of the aforementioned views falters when confronted with the powers of fundamental particles, which are said to be ungrounded pure powers. Molnar holds that both fundamental and derivative powers exist alongside non-power spatial and temporal properties. Debates among these four philosophers in the latter half of the 20th century constitute a substantial part of the reemergence of discussion of powers in contemporary metaphysics.

scholarly journals On Laws of Nature

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yiwei Yu
Keyword(s):  
Laws Of Nature ◽  
David Lewis ◽  
Basic Question ◽  
Natural Laws ◽  
David Armstrong

Natural laws are at the heart of contemporary academic studies. Yet, the basic question on what is accounted as a law is still open to debate among philosophers of science. This paper provides a survey on three representativephilosophical accounts of laws of nature —— the regularity (Humean) account, the necessitarian account by David Armstrong and the best system account of laws by David Lewis. By pointing out the disputes among these views whichstem from the dilemma pointed out by van Frassen – the tension between the problem of inference and the problem of identification, this paper provides a clear way to compare these accounts and a guidance for further research.

scholarly journals Actual Picture of the Law of Universal Gravitation and the Quantum Gravity Theory Describing the Real State of the Universe

2013 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
pp. 44-53
Author(s):  
Tomasz Borowski
Keyword(s):  
Quantum Theory ◽  
Quantum Gravity ◽  
Werner Heisenberg ◽  
Universal Gravitation ◽  
The Real ◽  
Natural Laws ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
Theory Of Gravitation ◽  
The Universe ◽  
Real State

This paper presents the real sense of the classical and quantum theory of gravitation as a component of the actual picture of the universe where the volume, as the size of the expanding universe, approaches infinity, while the total of material masses goes to zero. At present, these two standard theories describe the phenomenon of gravitation but do not explain the very mechanism and the cause of this process. This constant and real lack of information on that subject is consistent with natural laws and the same with the laws of physics, which were already experimentally determined by Werner Heisenberg in 1927. The paper also presents the causes of inability to explain up to the present the actual picture of the essence of the universe.

Scanning electron microscopy of human iliac bone by a simple preparation method

1990 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 226-227
Author(s):  
Toshihiko Takita ◽  
Tomonori Naguro ◽  
Toshio Kameie ◽  
Akihiro Iino ◽  
Kichizo Yamamoto
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Scanning Electron Microscopy ◽  
Preparation Method ◽  
Specimen Preparation ◽  
Real Surface ◽  
Public Attention ◽  
Preparation Methods ◽  
The Real ◽  
Simple Preparation ◽  
Scanning Electron

Recently with the increase in advanced age population, the osteoporosis becomes the object of public attention in the field of orthopedics. The surface topography of the bone by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is one of the most useful means to study the bone metabolism, that is considered to make clear the mechanism of the osteoporosis. Until today many specimen preparation methods for SEM have been reported. They are roughly classified into two; the anorganic preparation and the simple preparation. The former is suitable for observing mineralization, but has the demerit that the real surface of the bone can not be observed and, moreover, the samples prepared by this method are extremely fragile especially in the case of osteoporosis. On the other hand, the latter has the merit that the real information of the bone surface can be obtained, though it is difficult to recognize the functional situation of the bone.

Personal Audio System: Hearing Symptoms, Habits, and Sound Pressure Levels Measured in Real Ear and a Manikin

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (6) ◽  
pp. 2016-2026
Author(s):  
Tamara R. Almeida ◽  
Clayton H. Rocha ◽  
Camila M. Rabelo ◽  
Raquel F. Gomes ◽  
Ivone F. Neves-Lobo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sound Pressure ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Real ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Sound Pressure Levels ◽  
Audio System

Purpose The aims of this study were to characterize hearing symptoms, habits, and sound pressure levels (SPLs) of personal audio system (PAS) used by young adults; estimate the risk of developing hearing loss and assess whether instructions given to users led to behavioral changes; and propose recommendations for PAS users. Method A cross-sectional study was performed in 50 subjects with normal hearing. Procedures included questionnaire and measurement of PAS SPLs (real ear and manikin) through the users' own headphones and devices while they listened to four songs. After 1 year, 30 subjects answered questions about their usage habits. For the statistical analysis, one-way analysis of variance, Tukey's post hoc test, Lin and Spearman coefficients, the chi-square test, and logistic regression were used. Results Most subjects listened to music every day, usually in noisy environments. Sixty percent of the subjects reported hearing symptoms after using a PAS. Substantial variability in the equivalent music listening level (Leq) was noted ( M = 84.7 dBA; min = 65.1 dBA, max = 97.5 dBA). A significant difference was found only in the 4-kHz band when comparing the real-ear and manikin techniques. Based on the Leq, 38% of the individuals exceeded the maximum daily time allowance. Comparison of the subjects according to the maximum allowed daily exposure time revealed a higher number of hearing complaints from people with greater exposure. After 1 year, 43% of the subjects reduced their usage time, and 70% reduced the volume. A volume not exceeding 80% was recommended, and at this volume, the maximum usage time should be 160 min. Conclusions The habit of listening to music at high intensities on a daily basis seems to cause hearing symptoms, even in individuals with normal hearing. The real-ear and manikin techniques produced similar results. Providing instructions on this topic combined with measuring PAS SPLs may be an appropriate strategy for raising the awareness of people who are at risk. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.12431435

Current Issues: Evidence-Based Practice for the Real World: Thoughts on Clinical Education in Communication Disorders

2010 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 100-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne K. Bothe
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Education ◽  
Real World ◽  
Evidence Based Practice ◽  
Communication Disorders ◽  
University Faculty ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Speech Language Pathology ◽  
Basic Principles ◽  
The Real ◽  
Language Pathology

This article presents some streamlined and intentionally oversimplified ideas about educating future communication disorders professionals to use some of the most basic principles of evidence-based practice. Working from a popular five-step approach, modifications are suggested that may make the ideas more accessible, and therefore more useful, for university faculty, other supervisors, and future professionals in speech-language pathology, audiology, and related fields.

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