Page 1 |
Save page Remove page | Previous | 1 of 119 | Next |
|
small (250x250 max)
medium (500x500 max)
Large (1000x1000 max)
Extra Large
large ( > 500x500)
Full Resolution
All (PDF)
|
This page
All
|
DISPOSITIONS:
PROPERTIES OF POWERS
by
Jonathan Munich Weil
_____________________________________________________________
A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC GRADUATE SCHOOL
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
(PHILOSOPHY)
August 2011
Copyright 2011 Jonathan Munich Weil
Object Description
| Title | Dispositions: properties of powers |
| Author | Weil, Jonathan Munich |
| Author email | jweil@usc.edu;jon.weil@gmail.com |
| Degree | Doctor of Philosophy |
| Document type | Dissertation |
| Degree program | Philosophy |
| School | College of Letters, Arts And Sciences |
| Date defended/completed | 2011-05-05 |
| Date submitted | 2011-07-30 |
| Date approved | 2011-07-31 |
| Restricted until | 2011-07-31 |
| Date published | 2011-07-31 |
| Advisor (committee chair) | Van Cleve, James |
| Advisor (committee member) |
Higginbotham, James Schein, Barry |
| Abstract | There is an intuitive distinction between dispositional properties—which involve powers to act in certain ways, and non-dispositional ones—which comprise strictly categorical qualities. However, this distinction is resistant to analysis, particularly on the side of dispositions, in ways that to many suggest all dispositions should be explained away in terms of categorical properties. I argue that dispositions cannot be entirely accounted for in this manner. Instead, dispositions are among the most fundamental properties of the world. As such they are crucial components of any successful ontology. ❧ In particular, I maintain that certain kinds of properties are exclusively dispositional. To argue for this position I first detail some important conceptual space in the philosophical literature on dispositions. Doing so involves precisely elucidating several major points of contention. These include epistemological and linguistic concerns regarding the necessary and sufficient conditions for ascriptions of dispositions. In addition certain metaphysical questions about dispositions are at issue—most important whether fundamental properties can be purely dispositional. Ultimately I appeal to a characterization of the scientific project to support the claim that brute powers do exist, and argue that this in turn counts in favor of a related account of dispositions. Along the way I detail more general theories of dispositions reflected by various approaches to answering these contentious questions. |
| Keyword | dispsitions; philosophy; metaphysics |
| Language | English |
| Part of collection | University of Southern California dissertations and theses |
| Publisher (of the original version) | University of Southern California |
| Place of publication (of the original version) | Los Angeles, California |
| Publisher (of the digital version) | University of Southern California. Libraries |
| Provenance | Electronically uploaded by the author |
| Type | texts |
| Legacy record ID | usctheses-m |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Rights | Weil, Jonathan Munich |
| Physical access | The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the author, as the original true and official version of the work, but does not grant the reader permission to use the work if the desired use is covered by copyright. It is the author, as rights holder, who must provide use permission if such use is covered by copyright. The original signature page accompanying the original submission of the work to the USC Libraries is retained by the USC Libraries and a copy of it may be obtained by authorized requesters contacting the repository e-mail address given. |
| Repository name | University of Southern California Digital Library |
| Repository address | USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 7002, 106 University Village, Los Angeles, California 90089-7002, USA |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Archival file | uscthesesreloadpub_Volume6/etd-WeilJonath-211.pdf |
Description
| Title | Page 1 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Full text | DISPOSITIONS: PROPERTIES OF POWERS by Jonathan Munich Weil _____________________________________________________________ A Dissertation Presented to the FACULTY OF THE USC GRADUATE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (PHILOSOPHY) August 2011 Copyright 2011 Jonathan Munich Weil |
