POWERS

George Molnar

Akhil Batra
201356229
CEH,IIIT Hyderabad

Dispositions (Background needed)

Truthmaker - So x is a truth-maker for a truth p iff x exists. ( not a causal one)

Mental and Physical Dispositions - (Ryle, Molnar)

Dispositional Sentence - He Knows french (Ryle)
Laws - they do not state truths or falsehoods of the same type as those asserted by the statements of fact to
which they apply or are supposed to apply. (Ryle)
Dispositions - What would satisfy a law is not specified or mentioned in the law-sentence; similarly, what would
satisfy a disposition is not specified or mentioned in the disposition-sentence (Ryle)

Challenges or criticisms
Empiricist claims - They are nothing more than statements affirming the truth of
a conditional. (Events and their categories)
Problems with Naive conditional Analysis (David Lewis).
Reformed the empiricist criticism of powers. (argument CH - 4)
Based on Reduction - Reducing dispositions into categorical properties of that
particular (argument - ch 8)

Molnars take
Defeasible propositions - We cannot reduce such propositions to a universal
statement with an all else being equal, since such clauses cannot be explicated
in a non-trivially true way.
To say that the standard F is G is to say that any F is G if it has those
properties which, according to the appropriate principle of relevance, suffice to
distinguish it from all exceptional cases.
Kneale's Argument Revisited

If something is F is false, it follows that nothing is F is true but not

necessarily that it is a law.
From the falsity of something is F one cannot infer that nothing is F
states a law of nature.

Contd.
-

Papers - Are dispositions reducible, Truthmakers for negative truth (

confessed that it was a lack of success, for not able to discover any worthy
truthmakers for negative truth) holy grail of truth makers remain
undiscovered.
Ungroundedness argument - no ground for the terminal ground or no
empirical
Realist stance -

The world is everything that exists.

Everything that exists is positive.
Some negative claims about the world is true.

Every true claim about the world is made true by something that exists ( positive
truthmaker?)

But no new discovery on 4. (also claimed by Bertrand Russell), but

necessity for a realist to claim it.

Molnars Selective realism and theory of powers

1.

Properties and predicates are not isomorphic. Properties are tropes.

FIve fold characterization of powers

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Directedness (intentionality, physical in case of Molnar)

Independance (existence of powers independent of manifestation)
Actuality
Intrinsicality (being intrinsic to bearer, they not require external stimuli or
agent to account for its existence)
Objectivity ( Their existence is independent of any entity perceiving it)

Contd.

Powers and Non Powers (non-powers are s-properties like space, time,
spacial orientation etc) - property dualism

Intentionality

Directedness
(chain of thought from Brentano , ullin Palace, MArtin, Pfeifer)
Characteristics of intentionality - Molnar

1.
2.
3.
4.

An intentional state is directed to something beyond itself, the intentional

object.
The intentional object can be existent or non existent.
There is indeterminacy of the intentional object, which depends on partial
consideration.
There is referral opacity and non-truth functionality.

Representation or non representational

directedness?
Molnar suggests that there are properties which are

Mental
Non semantic
Intentional
Thus a model of non-semantic directedness (kind of graph edges with no
labels directed towards something which is a dense content or form but
maybe non existent)

Ungrounded Powers

Existence of a simple particulars ( be it the smallest subatomic particles,

monad, points or any archaic entity).
If simple particulars are dispositions what is the base for its existence, when
its not manifested.

(to this i have a possibility of a solution in mind, considering both disposition and non-power at
the base, how actually that i want to wander.)
Reason given, simple dispositions by definition is/are putatively dispositional.

Conditional candidacy of dispositions - dispositional are related to conditional

statement - ( if they are, what truthmaker will be for such statement, where the
truthmaker is whatever in the world is existent).
Intentional Candidacy - Directedness
Final say by molnar - we should accept ungrounded powers as it is.
A high ontological price to pay, but the benefits are considerable.

Humean Vs Molnars Anti Humean

Event and category VS Dispositions
Inexplicable Events and categories VS inexplicable Ungrounded Powers

Properties ( Tropes)

Tripartite Properties

Properties born out from properties

Properties born out from objects
Properties born out from both objects and properties

Later rejected ( introduction of first order and higher order properties(e.g.

Physical and property of being physical)
Dispositions are always first ordered

Objectivity

Critique to humean thesis of deductivism.

Ontology of powers

Basic and Derivative properties ( Iteration over dispositions)

Homogeneous properties ( property both of object and its parts)
Collective properties ( of the whole)
Derivation

A power is derivative if the presence of this power in the object depends on the
powers that its constituents have and the special relations in which the
constituents stand to each other. (later half suggests non power influence?)
Intentional object of powers of constituents and collective powers is same (hence
these powers are identical, since identity of the power is the intentional object?).
However this provides the base for a derivation to end.

Contd.
Derivation as functionalist analysis as opposed to reductionist analysis
(Simplification)

Preserve different categories of dispositions.

Casual base of a disposition can be other conceptually distinct
disposition.

Non Powers
-

If an object can translate without changing its power but cannot do without
changing some genuine properties, then there must be some genuine
properties apart from powers.
Strength of the power is influenced by non powers (spacial arrangements)

Thank you