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    Using thermodynamic properties to identify something as w... — Carmelics
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    Using thermodynamic properties to identify something as water does not mean water is water in virtue of those properties

    Philosophy of LanguageTruth & Knowledge
    ?Rate how convincing each reason is below to see the overall strength.
    1 reason for
    2 reasons against

    Reasons For

    1 perspective
    Reason for
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    • 1.Epistemic criteria for identifying a substance are distinct from the ontological grounds that make something that substance
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    • 2.We may use thermodynamic properties in identifying something as water
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    • 3.Not all bodies of water possess thermodynamic properties
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    Reasons Against

    2 perspectives
    Reason against 1 of 2
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    • 1.Thermodynamic properties like boiling point and freezing point are directly derived from H2O's molecular structure and bonding.
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    • 2.If a property is necessitated by a substance's essential microstructure, that property partially constitutes what it is to be that substance.
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    • 3.Therefore, thermodynamic properties are not merely epistemic markers but are metaphysically grounded in the very nature of water.
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    Reason against 2 of 2
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    • 1.Quine and Putnam's causal-descriptive theories suggest that reference is fixed partly through a cluster of properties, not a single hidden essence.
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    • 2.If thermodynamic properties are systematically and lawfully connected to water across all possible worlds, the distinction between epistemic and ontological criteria collapses for natural kind terms.
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    • 3.P3's observation that not all water bodies exhibit thermodynamic properties equally applies to H2O composition, undermining the privileging of microstructure as uniquely ontological.
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    Related

    Epistemic criteria for identifying a substance are distinct from the ontological...If a property is necessitated by a substance's essential microstructure, that pr...If thermodynamic properties are systematically and lawfully connected to water a...Not all bodies of water possess thermodynamic properties
    +5 moreShow less
    P3's observation that not all water bodies exhibit thermodynamic properties equa...Quine and Putnam's causal-descriptive theories suggest that reference is fixed p...Therefore, thermodynamic properties are not merely epistemic markers but are met...Thermodynamic properties like boiling point and freezing point are directly deri...We may use thermodynamic properties in identifying something as water

    Similar

    We may use thermodynamic properties in identifying something as water92%Therefore, a single H2O molecule cannot bear the thermodynamic propert...86%Not all bodies of water possess thermodynamic properties83%Water is said to be contained in a person's body without implying that...81%

    Source

    AI-extracted1/3 agreementValid
    SEP: natural-kinds
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    These considerations need not undermine the microstructuralist claim. Many chemical kinds may exist in any of the solid, liquid, and gaseous states while remaining the same substance, including water. But, water vapour will not possess the oligomers present in liquid water and ice. So their presence, however characteristic of water in the liquid and solid phases, cannot be a necessary feature of all bodies of water. Above we saw that atomic number is regarded as the essential feature of an eleme
    Extraction notes

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

    Details

    Type
    claim
    Perspectives
    3 (1 for, 2 against)
    Edits
    1 edit