Berkeley’s Best System: An Alternative Approach to Laws of Nature
Contemporary Humeans treat laws of nature as statements of exceptionless regularities that function as the axioms of the best deductive system. Such ‘Best System Accounts’ marry realism about laws with a denial of necessary connections among events. I argue that Hume’s predecessor, George Berkeley,...
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Aperio
2019-05-01
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| Series: | Journal of Modern Philosophy |
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| Online Access: | https://jmphil.org/article/id/2167/ |
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| author | Walter Ott |
| author_facet | Walter Ott |
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| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Contemporary Humeans treat laws of nature as statements of exceptionless regularities that function as the axioms of the best deductive system. Such ‘Best System Accounts’ marry realism about laws with a denial of necessary connections among events. I argue that Hume’s predecessor, George Berkeley, offers a more sophisticated conception of laws, equally consistent with the absence of powers or necessary connections among events in the natural world. On this view, laws are not statements of regularities but the most general rules God follows in producing the world. Pace most commentators, I argue that Berkeley’s view is neither instrumentalist (since law statements have truth values and descriptive content) nor reductionist. More important, the Berkeleyan Best System can solve some of the problems afflicting its Humean rivals, including the problems of theory choice and Nancy Cartwright’s ‘facticity’ dilemma. Some of these solutions are available in the contemporary context, without any appeal to God. Berkeley’s account deserves to be taken seriously in its own right. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d4d05529a5d748b0bb79dfff672c7324 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2644-0652 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2019-05-01 |
| publisher | Aperio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Modern Philosophy |
| spelling | doaj-art-d4d05529a5d748b0bb79dfff672c73242025-01-31T16:07:59ZengAperioJournal of Modern Philosophy2644-06522019-05-011010.25894/jmp.2167Berkeley’s Best System: An Alternative Approach to Laws of NatureWalter Ott0 Contemporary Humeans treat laws of nature as statements of exceptionless regularities that function as the axioms of the best deductive system. Such ‘Best System Accounts’ marry realism about laws with a denial of necessary connections among events. I argue that Hume’s predecessor, George Berkeley, offers a more sophisticated conception of laws, equally consistent with the absence of powers or necessary connections among events in the natural world. On this view, laws are not statements of regularities but the most general rules God follows in producing the world. Pace most commentators, I argue that Berkeley’s view is neither instrumentalist (since law statements have truth values and descriptive content) nor reductionist. More important, the Berkeleyan Best System can solve some of the problems afflicting its Humean rivals, including the problems of theory choice and Nancy Cartwright’s ‘facticity’ dilemma. Some of these solutions are available in the contemporary context, without any appeal to God. Berkeley’s account deserves to be taken seriously in its own right.https://jmphil.org/article/id/2167/Berkeleylaws of natureinstrumentalismHumephilosophy of science |
| spellingShingle | Walter Ott Berkeley’s Best System: An Alternative Approach to Laws of Nature Journal of Modern Philosophy Berkeley laws of nature instrumentalism Hume philosophy of science |
| title | Berkeley’s Best System: An Alternative Approach to Laws of Nature |
| title_full | Berkeley’s Best System: An Alternative Approach to Laws of Nature |
| title_fullStr | Berkeley’s Best System: An Alternative Approach to Laws of Nature |
| title_full_unstemmed | Berkeley’s Best System: An Alternative Approach to Laws of Nature |
| title_short | Berkeley’s Best System: An Alternative Approach to Laws of Nature |
| title_sort | berkeley s best system an alternative approach to laws of nature |
| topic | Berkeley laws of nature instrumentalism Hume philosophy of science |
| url | https://jmphil.org/article/id/2167/ |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT walterott berkeleysbestsystemanalternativeapproachtolawsofnature |