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    Intrinsic similarity is not necessary for membership of t... — Carmelics
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    Intrinsic similarity is not necessary for membership of the same species.

    Modality & Possibility
    ?Rate how convincing each reason is below to see the overall strength.
    1 reason for
    2 reasons against

    Reasons For

    1 perspective
    Reason for
    ?
    • 1.There exists a high degree of variation in intraspecific morphology and genetic makeup among members of the same species.
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    • 2.Natural kinds require certain distinctive intrinsic natural properties common to all members (e.g., nuclear charge for chemical elements).
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    • 3.There is no genetic material or sequence of genes that all and only members of Drosophila melanogaster possess, and likewise for all other species.
      ?

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    Reasons Against

    2 perspectives
    Reason against 1 of 2
    ?
    • 1.Homeostatic property cluster (HPC) kinds require only a causally sustained cluster of properties, not universal possession of any single intrinsic property.
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    • 2.Species membership is grounded in shared developmental pathways and population-level genetic clusters, which constitute intrinsic similarity at the appropriate level of abstraction.
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    • 3.Boyd's HPC theory shows that natural kind membership tolerates variation while still being underwritten by intrinsic causal structure, not merely relational facts.
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    Reason against 2 of 2
    ?
    • 1.Essentialism about species remains defensible if essential properties are understood as population-level statistical norms rather than universal necessary conditions for each member.
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    • 2.Sober's argument in 'The Nature of Selection' establishes that species have real intrinsic population-level properties (e.g., mean fitness) that ground sameness of kind without requiring individual universality.
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    Topics

    Philosophy of LanguageModality & Possibility

    Connections

    2 topics

    Truth & Knowledge2 linkedSkepticism1 linked

    Related

    Boyd's HPC theory shows that natural kind membership tolerates variation while s...Essentialism about species remains defensible if essential properties are unders...Homeostatic property cluster (HPC) kinds require only a causally sustained clust...Natural kinds require certain distinctive intrinsic natural properties common to...
    +4 moreShow less
    Sober's argument in 'The Nature of Selection' establishes that species have real...Species membership is grounded in shared developmental pathways and population-l...There exists a high degree of variation in intraspecific morphology and genetic ...

    Similar

    According to the BSC, membership of a species depends on relational pr...80%What can vary across counterfactual situations while preserving specie...80%Toulmin's biological species analogy is based only on feature-similari...80%Certain relations are necessary and sufficient for membership in a spe...79%

    Source

    AI-extracted1/3 agreementValid
    SEP: natural-kinds
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    The second consequence implies that intrinsic similarity is not necessary for membership of the same species. There exists a high degree of variation in intraspecific morphology and genetic makeup. While members of kinds need not be intrinsically identical (e.g., there may be isotopic variation between samples of a chemical element), there will nonetheless be certain distinctive intrinsic natural properties common to all members of the kind (e.g., nuclear charge in the case of atoms of the same
    Extraction notes

    Validity: Extracted via Max plan + API grounding/validity checks

    Details

    There is no genetic material or sequence of genes that all and only members of D...
    Type
    claim
    Perspectives
    3 (1 for, 2 against)
    Edits
    1 edit