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Chemical Kinds and Essences Revisited

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Abstract

The philosophical problem of the utility andmeaning of essences for chemistry cannot beresolved by Wittgenstein's principle thatessence cannot explain use, because use isdisplayed in a field of family resemblances.The transition of chemical taxonomy fromvernacular and mystical based terms to theorybased terms stabilized as a unified descriptivetaxonomy, removes chemical discourse from itsconnection with the vernacular. The transitioncan be tracked using the Lockean concepts ofreal and nominal essences, and the changingpriorities between them. Analyzing propertiesdispositionally, initiating a search forgroundings strengthens the case for a logicalasymmetry between descriptive and explanatorydiscourses. Taxonomy is now driven byexplanatory concepts, but not including thosefrom quantum chemistry.

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Authors
  1. Rom Harré
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Harré, R. Chemical Kinds and Essences Revisited. Foundations of Chemistry 7, 7–30 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:FOCH.0000042885.93975.69

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:FOCH.0000042885.93975.69

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