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    This mirrors Jackson and Chalmers's conceivability argume... — Carmelics
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    Challenges→Quiddities can be physically efficacious even if a single type of physical disposition might have been grounded by a distinct quiddity from the quiddity that actually grounds it

    This mirrors Jackson and Chalmers's conceivability arguments: if the same physical dispositions are conceivable without the quiddity, the quiddity adds no causal-explanatory content.

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    1 reason against

    Reasons For

    1 perspective
    Reason for
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    • 1.If two scenarios are physically and dispositionally identical, they must have identical causal powers by definition.
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    • 2.Quiddities are intrinsic properties independent of causal roles, so removing them leaves causal profiles unchanged.
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    • 3.Causal-explanatory content exhausts what matters scientifically; non-causal properties are explanatorily inert.
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    Reasons Against

    1 perspective
    Reason against
    ?
    • 1.Conceivability does not entail metaphysical possibility; we can conceive physically impossible scenarios.
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    • 2.Quiddities may be causally relevant via their role in grounding or constituting the physical dispositions themselves.
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    • 3.Jackson/Chalmers arguments conflate epistemic justification with metaphysical explanatory power—different standards apply.
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    Key Terms

    Causal-explanatory content(as what the argument claims the quiddity lacks)
    The capacity to cause things to happen or to explain why something occurs. If something has no causal-explanatory content, it doesn't actually do anything or help explain events.
    Conceivability arguments(as the argumentative strategy being discussed)
    A type of philosophical argument that says: if we can imagine or think through a scenario in our heads, it might tell us something important about what's actually possible in reality.
    Jackson and Chalmers(as referenced philosophers whose work this statement builds on)
    Two contemporary philosophers who developed influential arguments about consciousness and what we can imagine. Frank Jackson created the famous thought experiment about Mary the color scientist, while David Chalmers is known for describing 'the hard problem of consciousness'—explaining why we have subjective experiences.
    Physical dispositions(philosophy of mind and metaphysics)
    The natural tendencies or abilities that physical things have, like how a cup is disposed to break when dropped.
    quiddity(Used in Fârâbî's account of existence-as-quiddity)
    The essential nature or 'what-it-is' of a thing; for composite things it is spelled out by the definition and may be partially cited by any constituent cause; for simples it is identical with the thing itself

    Connections

    2 topics

    Causation1 linkedConsciousness & Mind1 linked

    Related

    Causal-explanatory content exhausts what matters scientifically; non-causal prop...Conceivability does not entail metaphysical possibility; we can conceive physica...

    Details

    Type
    claim
    Perspectives
    2 (1 for, 1 against)
    Edits
    1 edit
    If two scenarios are physically and dispositionally identical, they must have id...
    Jackson/Chalmers arguments conflate epistemic justification with metaphysical ex...
    +3 moreShow less
    Quiddities are intrinsic properties independent of causal roles, so removing the...Quiddities can be physically efficacious even if a single type of physical dispo...Quiddities may be causally relevant via their role in grounding or constituting ...