Locke on Individuation and Kinds
Locke has been accused of endorsing a theory of kinds that is inconsistent with his theory of individuation. This purported inconsistency comes to the fore in Locke’s treatment of cases involving organisms and the masses of matter that constitute them, for example, the case of a mass constitu...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Western Libraries, The University of Western Ontario
2018-02-01
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| Series: | Locke Studies |
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| Online Access: | https://ojs.lib.uwo.ca/index.php/locke/article/view/873 |
| _version_ | 1797979008846004224 |
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| author | Joseph Stenberg |
| author_facet | Joseph Stenberg |
| author_sort | Joseph Stenberg |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
Locke has been accused of endorsing a theory of kinds that is inconsistent with his theory of individuation. This purported inconsistency comes to the fore in Locke’s treatment of cases involving organisms and the masses of matter that constitute them, for example, the case of a mass constituting an oak tree. In this essay, I argue that this purported problem, known as ‘The Kinds Problem’, can be solved. The Kinds Problem depends on the faulty assumption that nominal essences include only features observable at a time t. Once this assumption is rejected, new candidates open up for the relevant difference in the world that is included in the nominal essence of e.g. mass but not oak tree. And I argue that there is at least one good candidate for the extrinsic feature observable only over time in which the mass differs from the oak it constitutes, namely its persistence conditions. The Kinds Problem can be solved.
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| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T05:32:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fe4c9e8eabb44385ae9ae05983c58945 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2561-925X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T05:32:07Z |
| publishDate | 2018-02-01 |
| publisher | Western Libraries, The University of Western Ontario |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Locke Studies |
| spelling | doaj.art-fe4c9e8eabb44385ae9ae05983c589452022-12-22T17:00:36ZengWestern Libraries, The University of Western OntarioLocke Studies2561-925X2018-02-011710.5206/ls.2017.873Locke on Individuation and KindsJoseph Stenberg0Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin Locke has been accused of endorsing a theory of kinds that is inconsistent with his theory of individuation. This purported inconsistency comes to the fore in Locke’s treatment of cases involving organisms and the masses of matter that constitute them, for example, the case of a mass constituting an oak tree. In this essay, I argue that this purported problem, known as ‘The Kinds Problem’, can be solved. The Kinds Problem depends on the faulty assumption that nominal essences include only features observable at a time t. Once this assumption is rejected, new candidates open up for the relevant difference in the world that is included in the nominal essence of e.g. mass but not oak tree. And I argue that there is at least one good candidate for the extrinsic feature observable only over time in which the mass differs from the oak it constitutes, namely its persistence conditions. The Kinds Problem can be solved. https://ojs.lib.uwo.ca/index.php/locke/article/view/873John LockeKindsIndividuationLockeKinds ProblemNominal Essence |
| spellingShingle | Joseph Stenberg Locke on Individuation and Kinds Locke Studies John Locke Kinds Individuation Locke Kinds Problem Nominal Essence |
| title | Locke on Individuation and Kinds |
| title_full | Locke on Individuation and Kinds |
| title_fullStr | Locke on Individuation and Kinds |
| title_full_unstemmed | Locke on Individuation and Kinds |
| title_short | Locke on Individuation and Kinds |
| title_sort | locke on individuation and kinds |
| topic | John Locke Kinds Individuation Locke Kinds Problem Nominal Essence |
| url | https://ojs.lib.uwo.ca/index.php/locke/article/view/873 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT josephstenberg lockeonindividuationandkinds |