Natural Kinds: a critical review from causality and complexity

Authors

  • Elisabeth Martínez Bautista IIF- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Mexico

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24310/Contrastescontrastes.v20i1.2302

Keywords:

Natural Kinds, Causality, Complexity, Scientific Practices, Epistemic Possibility Spaces

Abstract

Natural kinds have an important epistemic value that has not been studied due to the fact that the philosophical research has been focused on both semantics and logical aspects. I propose a critical review from causality and complexity to the concept of «natural kind» advanced by Homeostatic Properties Cluster Theory (HPC) in order to demonstrate that the kinds in the HPC style s are not supported by scientific practices such as biology. I think that a different concept of “natural kind” should be based on scientific practices in order to obtain a better philosophical understanding compared to HPC of both, natural processes and obtaining successful inferences. I hold that this epistemic approach provides us a new characterization of “natural kind” that will be useful as a unifying concept of natural phenomena, as well as for generating new spaces of epistemic possibility.

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Author Biography

Elisabeth Martínez Bautista, IIF- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

Elizabeth Martínez Bautista Doctorado en Filosofía de la Ciencia, Instituto de Investigaciones Filosóficas-UNAM

Línea de investigación: Filosofía de la ciencia y Filosofía del Lenguaje.

Dirección electrónica: marblesbaut@gmail.com

Published

2017-03-27

How to Cite

Martínez Bautista, E. (2017). Natural Kinds: a critical review from causality and complexity. Contrastes. Revista Internacional De Filosofía, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.24310/Contrastescontrastes.v20i1.2302

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Section

ARTICLES