Natural Kinds, Laws of Nature and Scientific Methodology

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xx

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2. On the Necessity of Natural Kinds

   • John Collier

   Pages 1-10

3. Natural Kinds and Natural Kind Reasoning

   • Brian Ellis

   Pages 11-28

4. The Jerrybuilt House of Humeanism

   • Caroline Lierse

   Pages 29-48

5. Physical Necessity and the Passage of Time

   • Peter Forrest

   Pages 49-62

6. Theorizing and Empirical Belief

   • F. John Clendinnen

   Pages 63-92

7. Indifference and Induction

   • Len O’neill

   Pages 93-102

8. Towards Metamethodology: For the History and Philosophy of Science

   • John F. Fox

   Pages 103-121

9. Elk Theories — A Galilean Strategy for Validating a New Scientific Discovery

   • Neil Thomason

   Pages 123-144

10. Of Crows and Quarks: Reflections on the Laws of Quantum Mechanics

    • Adrian Heathcote

    Pages 145-161

11. Laws and States in Quantum Mechanics

    • John Forge

    Pages 163-185

12. Instrumental Theories: Possibilities and Space and Time

    • Ian Hinckfuss

    Pages 187-209

13. Spacetime or Quantum Particles: The Ontology of Quantum Gravity?

    • Peter J. Riggs

    Pages 211-226

14. Comments on Lierse

    • D. M. Armstrong

    Pages 227-228

15. Comments on Forge

    • Adrian Heathcote

    Pages 229-233

16. Comments on Thomason

    • Keith Hutchison

    Pages 235-239

17. Back Matter

    Pages 241-247

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Australia and New Zealand boast an active community of scholars working in the field of history, philosophy and social studies of science. 'Australasian Studies in History and Philosophy of Science' aims to provide a distinctive publication outlet for their work. Each volume comprises a group of essays on a connected theme, edited by an Australian or a New Zealander with special expertise in that particular area. In each volume, a majority of the contributors is from Australia or New Zealand. CQntributions from elsewhere are by no means ruled out, however, and are indeed actively encouraged wherever appropriate to the balance of the volume in question. Earlier volumes in the series have been welcomed for significantly advancing the discussion of the topics they have dealt with. The present volume will I believe be greeted equally enthusiastically by readers in many parts of the world. R. W. Home General Editor Australasian Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Vll ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The stimulus to assemble this collection of essays grew from a number of interesting seminars conducted during the academic years 1991-92, under the auspices of the Victorian Centre for the History and Philosophy of Science (which is centred at the Bundoora campus of La Trobe University in the outer suburbs of Melbourne). Some of the seminar presentations to the Victorian Centre for HPS and other articles awaiting pUblication have been made available as part of the Pre-print Series of the Victorian Centre.

• David Hume
• philosophy of science
• quantum mechanics
• reason
• science
• scientific discovery

• Department of Philosophy, and Department of Physics and Mathematical Physics, University of Adelaide, Australia

  Peter J. Riggs

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