Identity and Indiscernibility

Hawley, Katherine

doi:10.1093/mind/fzn153

Cited by 69 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…11 9 Importantly, the information encoded in the relational properties being invoked is, on the second construal, purely structural. 10 One may worry that it is more natural to think that relations ground relational properties than the other way round (see, for instance, Hawley (2009)). In that case, the argument just offered would need to be backed up by additional considerations.…”

Section: Pautz's Objectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Partial Identity Account of Partial Similarity Revisited

Morganti

2010

Philosophia

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This paper provides a defence of the account of partial resemblances between properties according to which such resemblances are due to partial identities of constituent properties. It is argued, first of all, that the account is not only required by realists about universals à la Armstrong, but also useful (of course, in an appropriately re-formulated form) for those who prefer a nominalistic ontology for material objects. For this reason, the paper only briefly considers the problem of how to conceive of the structural universals first posited by Armstrong in order to explain partial resemblances, and focuses instead on criticisms that have been levelled against the theory (by Pautz, Eddon, Denkel and Gibb) and that apply regardless of one's preferred ontological framework. The partial identity account is defended from these objections and, in doing so, a hitherto quite neglected connection-between the debate about partial similarity as partial identity and that concerning ontological finitism versus infinitism-is looked at in some detail.

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Section: Pautz's Objectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Partial Identity Account of Partial Similarity Revisited

Morganti

2010

Philosophia

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“…As Hawley points out [6], defenders of PII can respond to such examples in a variety of ways. First, they may query whether the described situations are possible at all-this does not appear to be a promising way out in our above examples, which all are possible according to the relevant physical laws.…”

Section: Weak Discernibilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Identical Quantum Particles and Weak Discernibility

Dieks

Versteegh

2008

Found Phys

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Saunders has recently claimed that "identical quantum particles" with an anti-symmetric state (fermions) are weakly discernible objects, just like irreflexively related ordinary objects in situations with perfect symmetry (Black's spheres, for example). Weakly discernible objects have all their qualitative properties in common but nevertheless differ from each other by virtue of (a generalized version of) Leibniz's principle, since they stand in relations an entity cannot have to itself. This notion of weak discernibility has been criticized as question begging, but we defend and accept it for classical cases likes Black's spheres. We argue, however, that the quantum mechanical case is different. Here the application of the notion of weak discernibility indeed is question begging and in conflict with standard interpretational ideas. We conclude that the introduction of the conceptual resource of weak discernibility does not change the interpretational status quo in quantum mechanics.

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“…51 French and Krause ([2006], p. 9) suggest there is a 'worry' that by apppealing to irreflexive relations we beg the question; see Hawley [2009], Section 3.2 for discussion of related points. However, and to repeat, I am here simply presenting Saunders' argument as I find it.…”

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confidence: 99%

Priority and Particle Physics: Ontic Structural Realism as a Fundamentality Thesis

McKenzie¹

2014

The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science

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Identity and Indiscernibility

Cited by 69 publications

References 17 publications

The Partial Identity Account of Partial Similarity Revisited

The Partial Identity Account of Partial Similarity Revisited

Identical Quantum Particles and Weak Discernibility

Priority and Particle Physics: Ontic Structural Realism as a Fundamentality Thesis

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