Theo Todman's Web Page - Paper Abstracts

Write-up₁ (as at 06/07/2023 00:43:12): Kinds

Plug Note²

• Thesis Text:
  1. This may be an important topic, particularly in distinguishing Natural Kinds³ from other Kinds, as the question whether Persons⁴ (or even human persons⁵) fall under a natural kind concept is critical to the debate between animalists⁶ and those favouring the constitution view⁷.
  2. I can’t see much difference between Sortals⁸ and Kinds, and Natural Kinds⁹ are obviously a subset of Kinds. Phase Sortals¹⁰ are a bit like jobs, so may not be kinds at all.
  3. But if (as I believe) persons are Phase Sortals¹¹ of human animals¹², then this can’t be right if persons form a kind as seems likely.
  4. Kinds may be instantiated Concepts¹³; so, are sets of things, but with a principled array of entry-criteria, which would allow members of multiple natural Kinds to belong (for Persons¹⁴, this might be the usual suspects – God, aliens, human beings, the great Apes, and so on).

• ---

  Further Remarks:
  1. There is considerable overlap between this Note and the following:-
     1. Natural Kinds¹⁵.
     2. Sortals¹⁶
     3. Phase Sortals¹⁷
  2. This Note should focus on the more general aspects of this nexus of ideas.
  3. The study-list for Kinds should be quite extensive, but – based on the categorised reading list below – I don’t seem to have much that’s not covered by “Natural Kinds¹⁸”.