Against Magnitude Realism
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Abstract
In recent work, Christopher Peacocke has argued for a kind of realism (or anti-reductionism) about magnitudes such as temperature and spatial distance. Peacocke’s argument is that magnitudes are an ineliminable commitment of scientific and everyday explanations (including high-level explanations), and that they are the natural candidates for semantic values of our ordinary magnitude talk, and for contents of our mental states. I critique these arguments, in particular focusing on whether the realist has a satisfactory account of how high-level magnitude facts are grounded in lower-level facts. I argue that a less realist (i.e., more reductionist approach) is preferable, or at least viable. I also aim to substantially clarify what is at stake in the debate.
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Lee, G. (2023). Against Magnitude Realism. Crítica. Revista Hispanoamericana De Filosofía, 55(163), 13–44. https://doi.org/10.22201/iifs.18704905e.2023.1407
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References
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Baker, David John, 2020, “Some Consequences of Physics for the Comparative Metaphysics of Quantity”, in Karen Bennett and Dean W. Zimmerman (eds.), Oxford Studies in Metaphysics Volume 12, Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 75–112.
Chalmers, David J., 2012, Constructing the World, Oxford University Press, New York.
Dasgupta, Shamik, 2013, “Absolutism vs Comparativism about Quantities”, Oxford Studies in Metaphysics, vol. 12, pp. 105–150.
Dasgupta, Shamik, forthcoming, “How to be a Relationist”, Oxford Studies in Metaphysics.
Devitt, Michael, 1980, “ ‘Ostrich Nominalism’ or ‘Mirage Realism?’ ”, Pacific Philosophical Quarterly, vol. 61, pp. 433–439.
Dorr, Cian, 2016, “To be F is to be G”, Philosophical Perspectives, vol. 30, no. 1, pp. 1–97.
Eddon, M., 2013, “Fundamental Properties of Fundamental Properties”, Oxford Studies in Metaphysics, vol. 8, pp. 78–104.
Euclid, 1956, The Thirteen Books of the Elements, vol. 2, Books III–IX, tr. T. Heath, second edition, Dover, New York.
Field, Hartry, 1980, Science without Numbers, Oxford University Press, New York.
Hölder, Otto, 1901, “Die Axiome der Quantität und die Lehre vom Mass”, Bericht. Sächsisch Akademie der Wissenschaften, Math-Physik Klasse, vol. 53, pp. 1–64.
Jackson, Frank, 1998, From Metaphysics of Ethics, Oxford Clarendon Press, New York.
Kant, Immanuel, 1998, Critique of Pure Reason, Paul Guyer and Allen W. Wood (eds.), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Lange, Marc, 2002, An Introduction to this Philosophy of Physics: Locality, Fields, Energy and Mass, Blackwell Publishing, Oxford.
Lee, G., manuscript, “Getting out of Ghost World: Grounding and Highlevel Structure”.
Lewis, David, 1986, On the Plurality of Worlds, Blackwell, Oxford.
Lewis, David, 1983, “New Work for the Theory of Universals”, Australasian Journal of Philosophy, vol. 61, no. 3, pp. 343–377.
Maudlin, Tim, 2007, The Metaphysics within Physics, Oxford University Press, New York.
McLaughlin, Brian P., 1992, The Rise and Fall of British Emergentism, in Hans Flohr, Ansgar Beckermann y Kim Jaegwon (eds.), Emergence or Reduction?: Prospects for Nonreductive Physicalism, De Gruyter, Berlin.
McQueen, Kelvin J., 2015, “Mass Additivity and A Priori Entailment”, Synthese, vol. 192, pp. 1373–1392.
Michell, Joel, 2003, The Quantative Imperative. Theory and Psychology, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 5–31.
Michell, Joel, 1999, Measurement in Psychology: Critical History of a Methodological Concept, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Mundy, Brent, 1987, “The Metaphysics of Quantities”, Philosophical Studies, vol. 51, pp. 29–54.
Peacocke, Christopher, 2019, The Primacy of Metaphysics, Oxford University Press, New York.
Peacocke, Christopher, 2014, “Magnitudes: Exposition of a Realistic Ontology”, Proceedings of the 2013 Kirchberg Symposium.
Peacocke, Christopher, 1993, “Externalist Explanation”, Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society, New Series, vol. 93, pp. 203–230.
Perry, Zee R., 2015, “Properly Extensive Quantities”, Philosophy of Science, vol. 82, pp. 833–844.
Putnam, Hilary, 1988, Representation and Reality, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA.
Quine, W.V., 1948, “On What There Is”, Review of Metaphysics, reprinted in Willard van Orman Quine, From a Logical Point of View, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass.
Schaffer, Jonathan, 2017a, “The Ground between the Gaps”, Philosophers Imprint, vol. 17, no. 11.
Schaffer, Jonathan, 2017b, “Laws for Metaphysical Explanation”, Philosophical Issues, vol. 27, Metaphysics, pp. 302–321.
Scott, Dana, 1963, A General Theory of Magnitudes, Mimeo Circulating at the Mathematical Institute, Oxford University in the 1970s.
Shoemaker, Sydney, 1988, “On What There Are”, Philosophical Topics, vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 201–223.
Sider, Theodore, 2012, Writing the Book of the World, Oxford University Press, New York.
Sider, Theodore, 1997, “Four Dimensionalism”, Philosophical Review, vol. 106, pp. 197–231.
Sprevak, Mark, 2018, “Triviality Arguments about Computational Implementation”, in Mark Sprevak and Matteo Colombo (eds.), The Routledge Companion to the Computational Mind, Routledge, London.
Suppes, Patrick and Joseph L. Zinnes, 1963, “Basic Measurement Theory”, in R. Duncan Luce, Robert R. Bush, and Eugene Galanter (eds.), Handbook of Mathematical Psychology, volume 1, Wiley, New York.
Swoyer, Chris, 1987, “The Metaphysics of Measurement”, in J. Forge (ed.), Measurement, Realism and Objectivity: Essays on Measurement in the Social and Physical Sciences, Thompson Reidel, Dordrecht.
Wilson, Jessica, 2021, Metaphysical Emergence, Oxford University Press, New York.
Baker, David John, 2020, “Some Consequences of Physics for the Comparative Metaphysics of Quantity”, in Karen Bennett and Dean W. Zimmerman (eds.), Oxford Studies in Metaphysics Volume 12, Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 75–112.
Chalmers, David J., 2012, Constructing the World, Oxford University Press, New York.
Dasgupta, Shamik, 2013, “Absolutism vs Comparativism about Quantities”, Oxford Studies in Metaphysics, vol. 12, pp. 105–150.
Dasgupta, Shamik, forthcoming, “How to be a Relationist”, Oxford Studies in Metaphysics.
Devitt, Michael, 1980, “ ‘Ostrich Nominalism’ or ‘Mirage Realism?’ ”, Pacific Philosophical Quarterly, vol. 61, pp. 433–439.
Dorr, Cian, 2016, “To be F is to be G”, Philosophical Perspectives, vol. 30, no. 1, pp. 1–97.
Eddon, M., 2013, “Fundamental Properties of Fundamental Properties”, Oxford Studies in Metaphysics, vol. 8, pp. 78–104.
Euclid, 1956, The Thirteen Books of the Elements, vol. 2, Books III–IX, tr. T. Heath, second edition, Dover, New York.
Field, Hartry, 1980, Science without Numbers, Oxford University Press, New York.
Hölder, Otto, 1901, “Die Axiome der Quantität und die Lehre vom Mass”, Bericht. Sächsisch Akademie der Wissenschaften, Math-Physik Klasse, vol. 53, pp. 1–64.
Jackson, Frank, 1998, From Metaphysics of Ethics, Oxford Clarendon Press, New York.
Kant, Immanuel, 1998, Critique of Pure Reason, Paul Guyer and Allen W. Wood (eds.), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Lange, Marc, 2002, An Introduction to this Philosophy of Physics: Locality, Fields, Energy and Mass, Blackwell Publishing, Oxford.
Lee, G., manuscript, “Getting out of Ghost World: Grounding and Highlevel Structure”.
Lewis, David, 1986, On the Plurality of Worlds, Blackwell, Oxford.
Lewis, David, 1983, “New Work for the Theory of Universals”, Australasian Journal of Philosophy, vol. 61, no. 3, pp. 343–377.
Maudlin, Tim, 2007, The Metaphysics within Physics, Oxford University Press, New York.
McLaughlin, Brian P., 1992, The Rise and Fall of British Emergentism, in Hans Flohr, Ansgar Beckermann y Kim Jaegwon (eds.), Emergence or Reduction?: Prospects for Nonreductive Physicalism, De Gruyter, Berlin.
McQueen, Kelvin J., 2015, “Mass Additivity and A Priori Entailment”, Synthese, vol. 192, pp. 1373–1392.
Michell, Joel, 2003, The Quantative Imperative. Theory and Psychology, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 5–31.
Michell, Joel, 1999, Measurement in Psychology: Critical History of a Methodological Concept, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Mundy, Brent, 1987, “The Metaphysics of Quantities”, Philosophical Studies, vol. 51, pp. 29–54.
Peacocke, Christopher, 2019, The Primacy of Metaphysics, Oxford University Press, New York.
Peacocke, Christopher, 2014, “Magnitudes: Exposition of a Realistic Ontology”, Proceedings of the 2013 Kirchberg Symposium.
Peacocke, Christopher, 1993, “Externalist Explanation”, Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society, New Series, vol. 93, pp. 203–230.
Perry, Zee R., 2015, “Properly Extensive Quantities”, Philosophy of Science, vol. 82, pp. 833–844.
Putnam, Hilary, 1988, Representation and Reality, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA.
Quine, W.V., 1948, “On What There Is”, Review of Metaphysics, reprinted in Willard van Orman Quine, From a Logical Point of View, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass.
Schaffer, Jonathan, 2017a, “The Ground between the Gaps”, Philosophers Imprint, vol. 17, no. 11.
Schaffer, Jonathan, 2017b, “Laws for Metaphysical Explanation”, Philosophical Issues, vol. 27, Metaphysics, pp. 302–321.
Scott, Dana, 1963, A General Theory of Magnitudes, Mimeo Circulating at the Mathematical Institute, Oxford University in the 1970s.
Shoemaker, Sydney, 1988, “On What There Are”, Philosophical Topics, vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 201–223.
Sider, Theodore, 2012, Writing the Book of the World, Oxford University Press, New York.
Sider, Theodore, 1997, “Four Dimensionalism”, Philosophical Review, vol. 106, pp. 197–231.
Sprevak, Mark, 2018, “Triviality Arguments about Computational Implementation”, in Mark Sprevak and Matteo Colombo (eds.), The Routledge Companion to the Computational Mind, Routledge, London.
Suppes, Patrick and Joseph L. Zinnes, 1963, “Basic Measurement Theory”, in R. Duncan Luce, Robert R. Bush, and Eugene Galanter (eds.), Handbook of Mathematical Psychology, volume 1, Wiley, New York.
Swoyer, Chris, 1987, “The Metaphysics of Measurement”, in J. Forge (ed.), Measurement, Realism and Objectivity: Essays on Measurement in the Social and Physical Sciences, Thompson Reidel, Dordrecht.
Wilson, Jessica, 2021, Metaphysical Emergence, Oxford University Press, New York.
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