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How Particulars Naturally Belong to (Natural) Classes.
- Source :
- Philosophia; Jul2023, Vol. 51 Issue 3, p1705-1721, 17p
- Publication Year :
- 2023
-
Abstract
- Among those who posit properties, liberals (mostly nominalists) admit abundant, ontologically free properties, which particulars possess whenever they satisfy the same predicate and belong to the same class, however artificial. I call them "L-properties" (for "Liberal"). Some liberals also admit that some few L-properties are natural, while most of them are artificial (the same applies to the corresponding classes). Others (mostly but not only realists) commit to a more discriminating use of the category: properties are sparse, they make for the objective similarities among particulars, and more importantly, they allow to analyze "objective similarity" and "class naturalness" in terms of property-possessing and sharing. They give particulars their "true nature", and I call them "A-properties" (for "Analytical"). This article provides a defense of this second type of properties, in the particular case of sortals. To that end, a new fact is put forward: that sorts are classes which are natural not as a primitive feature, but in virtue of what the particulars which belong to them are, and which makes them naturally belong to them. I then argue that this fact entails the existence of the desired type of properties, "sortal A-properties", although leaving open the question of how they should be construed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- ONTOLOGY
NATURALNESS (Linguistics)
PHILOSOPHY
GEMS & precious stones
THEORISTS
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 00483893
- Volume :
- 51
- Issue :
- 3
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Philosophia
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 165465285
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s11406-022-00601-0