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Nature's Metaphysics argues that a satisfactory philosophy of science requires a metaphysics that is based on the understanding that causal properties are essentially dispositional properties. Alexander Bird develops and defends a dispositional essentialist account of the laws of nature, and also examines dispositional accounts of explanation, causation, ceteris paribus laws, substances and kinds. Professional philosophers and advanced students working in metaphysics and the philosophy of science will find this book both provocative and stimulating.
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N AT U R E ’ S M E TA PH Y S I C S This page intentionally left blank Nature’s Metaphysics Laws and Properties by ALEXANDER BIRD CLARENDON PRESS · OXFORD 1 Great Clarendon Street, Oxford ox2 6dp Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide in Oxford New York Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With offices in Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam Oxford is a registered trade mark of Oxford University Press in the UK and in certain other countries Published in the United States by Oxford University Press Inc., New York Alexander Bird 2007 The moral rights of the authors have been asserted Database right Oxford University Press (maker) First published 2007 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press, or as expressly permitted by law