File spoon-archives/bhaskar.archive/bhaskar_1996/96-10-21.081, message 41


Date: Wed, 2 Oct 1996 23:11:24 -0500
From: derekh-AT-yorku.ca (Derek Hrynyshyn)
Subject: Comments on RTS2-1.5A


Thanks to Hans E for posting the latest section from the text.

I think that the way laws are talked about in this section answers many of
the concerns I had a while ago about the difference between the laws (or
representations of them) and the tendencies that they represent in the real
world.

But I am still not quite convinced by the argument, not totally. I think
that there is some linguistic slight of hand going on here. Bhaskar has
just taken the idea of laws, and since there are difficult questions about
the ontological status of them, has used the word "tendencies" instead.
Which Newton did 300 years ago.

What exactly is a tendency, and what is its ontological status? Is it some
kind of transfactual connection between a set of conditions and a necessary
consequence of them? A causal connection? If so, doesn't this just circle
back and beg the question about the ontological status of causation?

Perhaps I am too critical here. Maybe we can be satisfied with the
knowledge that given some conditions, there will always be necessary
consequences, and call this knowledge of causal laws. But i am not sure and
would like to hear what others say on this. Is anyone else left with
gnawing doubts about the adequacy of this? Or does Bhaskar mean something
different and more adequate?

As an aside, is there anyone out there who has given any thought to the
application of critical realism to mathematics? Are mathematical
relationships a deep structure? If not, what ontological status do they
have?

Derek.


Derek Hrynyshyn,           Graduate Program
Phone: 650-2276           in Political Science,
derekh-AT-yorku.ca            York University    Ross S609

Communications Officer,      CUPE local 3903
 Fax: 736-5480 ******** Office: 736 - 5154
http://www.yorku.ca/org/cupe/cupe3903.htm





   

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