Dispositionalism

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xii

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2. Dispositionalism: Between Metaphysics and the Philosophy of Science

   • Anne Sophie Meincke

   Pages 1-12

3. Ontology of Powers

   • John Heil

   Pages 13-26

4. What Does the Doing? On Powers, Things and Powerful Things

   • Ruth Groff

   Pages 27-40

5. Active Bearers: The Ontology of Mental Dispositions

   • Josef Quitterer

   Pages 41-53

6. Powers, Activity and Interaction

   • Anna Marmodoro

   Pages 55-66

7. What Are Manifestations?

   • Neil E. Williams

   Pages 67-87

8. Powers, Persistence and Process

   • Anne Sophie Meincke

   Pages 89-113

9. Powers, Probability and Statistics

   • Rani Lill Anjum, Stephen Mumford

   Pages 115-130

10. What Powers Are Not

    • Elina Pechlivanidi, Stathis Psillos

    Pages 131-149

11. A Dispositional Account of Causation, with Some Remarks on the Ontology of Dispositions

    • Alexander Bird

    Pages 151-170

12. Powers, Dispositions and Laws of Nature

    • Max Kistler

    Pages 171-188

13. Doing Away with Dispositions: Powers in the Context of Modern Physics

    • Steven French

    Pages 189-212

14. Organic Powers

    • Matthew Tugby

    Pages 213-238

15. Back Matter

    Pages 239-248

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According to dispositional realism, or dispositionalism, the entities inhabiting our world possess irreducibly dispositional properties – often called ‘powers’ – by means of which they are sources of change. Dispositionalism has become increasingly popular among metaphysicians in the last three decades as it offers a realist account of causation and provides novel avenues for understanding modality, laws of nature, agency, free will and other key concepts in metaphysics. At the same time, it is receiving growing interest among philosophers of science. This reflects the substantial role scientific findings play in arguments for dispositionalism which, as a metaphysics of science, aims to unveil the very foundations of science.

The present collection of essays brings together both strands of interest. It elucidates the ontological profile of dispositionalism by exploring its ontological commitments, and it discusses these from the perspective of the philosophy of science. The essays are written by both proponents of dispositionalism and sceptics so as to initiate an open-minded, constructive dialogue.

• Carnap and the Anglo-Austrian Conspiracy against Dispositions
• Causation, Powers and Probability
• Dispositionalism
• Dispositions and powers
• Dispositions Need Substances
• Humeanism
• Ontological categories for dispositionalism
• Ontology of Mental Dispositions
• Ontology of Powers
• Persistence and dispositionalism
• Powers as Instrumental Causes
• Powers are not Vectors
• Powers in the context of modern physics
• Substance ontology

• Department of Philosophy, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria, Centre for the Study of Life Sciences (Egenis), University of Exeter, Exeter, UK

  Anne Sophie Meincke

Anne Sophie Meincke is a Senior Research Fellow at the Philosophy Department of the University of Vienna, Austria, and an Honorary Research Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Life Sciences at the University of Exeter, United Kingdom. Meincke’s research lies at the intersection of metaphysics and the philosophy of biology, with a special focus on elaborating a new process ontological perspective. She is currently PI of the ‘Elise Richter’ research project Bio-Agency and Natural Freedom, funded by the Austrian Science Fund (2019-2023). Previously, Meincke was a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Southampton, United Kingdom, and a Research Fellow at the Universities of Exeter, United Kingdom, and Innsbruck, Austria.

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