[SydPhil] Notification: David Bronstein, Georgetown @ Wed 20 May 2015 13:00 - 14:30 (Seminars)

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Title: David Bronstein, Georgetown
Aristotle on Essence and Explanation

Aristotle was an essentialist. But what kind of essentialist was he? To  
begin with: Aristotle thinks that while all of the essential properties of  
a natural kind such as horse are necessary properties of it, not all  
necessary properties of a kind are essential properties of it. Rather,  
every natural kind has certain necessary properties that are not part of  
its essence but belong to it because of its essence. To understand  
Aristotle's specific brand of essentialism, we need to understand his  
account of the causal connection that holds between a kind's essence and  
its necessary, non-essential properties. According to the view I call  
'Strong Essentialism', a natural kind's essence is the sole (one and only)  
cause of all of its necessary, non-essential properties. According to the  
view I call 'Weak Essentialism', a natural kind's essence is a cause  
(perhaps one among several) of all of its necessary, non-essential  
properties. Aristotle is often portrayed as a Strong Essentialist. I argue  
that he is a Weak Essentialist. I do so by looking at his account of the  
role of essences in scientific explanation in the Posterior Analytics and  
Parts of Animals. If my interpretation is right, then Aristotle has a  
strikingly unified account that spans the divide between his theory and  
practice of science.



When: Wed 20 May 2015 13:00 - 14:30 Eastern Time - Melbourne, Sydney
Where: Muniment Room, Main Quad, Univ of Sydney
Calendar: Seminars
Who:
     * Dalia Nassar- creator

Event details:  
https://www.google.com/calendar/event?action=VIEW&eid=cHBkcWFrZ2Q3djllZ2lpYTIybDgxcDZwM3MgMm1lN2M3ZnIzb21wbDRyaHZrcG1sYTUzNjhAZw

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