Year: 2003
Type: article
Abstract: Did Locke think there are natural kinds?Did he even concede that natural kinds are possible?These questions are surprisingly vexed considering the amount of space in Locke's Essay 1 devoted to kinds, species, and genera.Recent commentators dispute whether Locke was a realist or a conventionalist about natural kinds, while some claim he was, inconsistently, both. 2 An adequate understanding of Locke's position can help illuminate contemporary discussions about natural kinds and related issues concerning naturalkind terms.Natural-kind realism is the prevailing view among contemporary philosophers, and Locke is often cited as one of the precursors of contemporary realism.I shall show, however, that Locke was unequivocally a conventionalist about natural kinds.To the extent that realists see themselves as following a Lockean tradition, they misunderstand what Locke was trying to do.In fact, Locke's Essay provides important criticism for contemporary as well as scholastic natural-kind realism.
Author: Judith Crane
Institution: Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Language: English
Subfield: History and Philosophy of Science
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2010245394