Summary |
Scientific essentialism, which is sometimes used synonymously with 'dispositional essentialism', is the view that (some) properties have their causal properties -- their 'dispositional profile' -- essentially. The focus is usually on fundamental properties. Scientific essentialism is typically associated with the view that the fundamental laws of nature depend on such essential properties, so laws are effectively explained by the dispositional profiles of the things that they concern. Since the properties have these profiles essentially, it seems natural to think that the laws of nature are thus metaphysically necessary, although attempts to develop weaker versions of scientific essentialism without this commitment do exist. |