Do Ceteris Paribus Laws Exist? A Regularity-Based Best System Analysis

Thinking about Non-Universal Laws

“…2 to account for cp laws. Among the latter are Hüttemann (2014), Pemberton and Cartwright (2014), Schrenk (2014), andUnterhuber (2014). Hüttemann (2014) argues that non-universal laws (in physics) are best interpreted as describing the disposition of a physical system to display a particular behavior, if the physical system at issue is isolated.…”

“…Pemberton and Cartwright (2014) combine the frameworks of Cartwrightian nomological machines (Cartwright 1989(Cartwright , 1999 and causal mechanisms in order to describe the facts picked out by cp laws. 13 Schrenk (2014) and Unterhuber (2014) propose accounts of cp laws based on a Lewisian best system account of laws. Schrenk (2014) provides a detailed account of special science laws in a Lewisian best system analysis (cf.…”

“…On the other hand, generics have a naturalistic epistemological edge, since generics seem to be cognitively more fundamental than representation formats that correspond to strict regularities, as evidence from child development suggests (e.g., Hollander et al 2002;Leslie 2008). Nickel (2014) and Unterhuber (2014) pursue such a generic-based approach. By employing generics, Nickel (2014) argues against the homeostatic property cluster view of natural kinds (e.g., Boyd 1999).…”

“…By employing generics, Nickel (2014) argues against the homeostatic property cluster view of natural kinds (e.g., Boyd 1999). Finally, Unterhuber (2014) suggests a formal account of cp laws, based on a formal semantics that was explicitly proposed for generics (Pelletier and Asher 1997;Delgrande 1998).…”

High-Level Exceptions Explained

“…A Humean "best system" approach to high-level exceptions amounts, I think, to a metaphysically more sophisticated version of this implementation of the softness paradigm (Schrenk 2014;Unterhuber 2014).…”