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The Naturalness Theory of Laws

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Causation and Laws of Nature

Part of the book series: Australasian Studies in History and Philosophy of Science ((AUST,volume 14))

Abstract

If I were to drop an apple, then it would fall. It is not possible that it would fly upwards. It is necessary that it would fall. I think these statements are true, but at the same time I believe that it is not logically necessary that the apple would fall. I believe that there is in nature a kind of necessity weaker than logical necessity: natural necessity.

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References

  • Ellis, B.D. (this volume [a]), ‘Causal Powers and Laws of Nature’

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  • Ellis, B.D. (this volume [b]), ‘Bigelow’s Worries About Scientific Essentialism’, 61–75

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  • Ellis, B.D., and C.E. Lierse (1994), ‘Dispositional Essentialism’, Australasian Journal of Philosophy 72, 27–44

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  • Leckey, M.J., and J.C. Bigelow (1995), ‘The Necessitarian Perspective: Laws as Natural Entailments’, in Laws of Nature, edited by F. Weinert, Berlin: de Gruyter, 92–119

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  • Tooley, M. (1987), Causation: A Realist Approach, Oxford: Clarendon Press

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© 1999 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Leckey, M. (1999). The Naturalness Theory of Laws. In: Sankey, H. (eds) Causation and Laws of Nature. Australasian Studies in History and Philosophy of Science, vol 14. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-9229-1_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-9229-1_7

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-90-481-5303-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-015-9229-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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