Physical Magnitudes

Dees, Marco

doi:10.1111/papq.12223

Cited by 3 publications

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“…For some discussions of the nature of quantities and magnitudes, seeArmstrong [1978],Mundy [1987],Bigelow and Pargetter [1988],Mitchell [2006],Eddon [2013],Peacocke [2015], andDees [2018]. As far as I can tell, none of these discussions has any straightforward implications for whether consciousness comes in degrees.…”

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Degrees of consciousness

Lee

2022

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Is a human more conscious than an octopus? In the science of consciousness, it's oftentimes assumed that some creatures (or mental states) are more conscious than others. But in recent years, a number of philosophers have argued that the notion of degrees of consciousness is conceptually confused. This paper (1) argues that the most prominent objections to degrees of consciousness are unsustainable, (2) examines the semantics of ‘more conscious than’ expressions, (3) develops an analysis of what it is for a degreed property to count as degrees of consciousness, and (4) applies the analysis to various theories of consciousness. I argue that whether consciousness comes in degrees ultimately depends on which theory of consciousness turns out to be correct. But I also argue that most theories of consciousness entail that consciousness comes in degrees.

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Degrees of consciousness

Lee

2022

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The (un)detectability of absolute Newtonian masses

Martens

2019

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Absolutism about mass claims that mass ratios obtain in virtue of absolute masses. Comparativism denies this. Dasgupta (2013) argues for comparativism about mass, in the context of Newtonian Gravity. Such an argument requires proving that comparativism is empirically adequate. Dasgupta equates this to showing that absolute masses are undetectable, and attempts to do so. This paper develops an argument by Baker to the contrary: absolute masses are in fact empirically meaningful, that is detectable (in some weak sense). Additionally, it is argued that the requirement of empirical adequacy should not be cashed out in terms of undetectability in the first place. The paper closes by sketching the possible strategies that remain for the comparativist. Along the way a framework is developed that is useful for thinking about these issues: Ozma games-how could one explain to an alien civilisation what an absolute mass is?

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Philosophy of Physical Magnitudes

Martens

2024

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Dimensional quantities such as length, mass and charge, i.e., numbers combined with a conventional unit, are essential components of theories in the sciences, especially physics, chemistry and biology. Do they represent a world with absolute physical magnitudes, or are they merely magnitude ratios in disguise? Would we notice a difference if all the distances or charges in the world suddenly doubled? These central questions of this Element are illustrated by imagining how one would convey the meaning of a kilogram to aliens if one were only allowed to communicate via Morse code.

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Physical Magnitudes

Cited by 3 publications

References 19 publications

Degrees of consciousness

Degrees of consciousness

The (un)detectability of absolute Newtonian masses

Philosophy of Physical Magnitudes

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