Power Structuralism in Ancient Ontologies Powers: Necessity and Neighbourhoods
May 7, 2014
Neil Williams, a Professor at Buffalo University, dives into the necessity of powers in metaphysics, challenging the anti-necessitarian stance. He critiques modern ideas of 'tending' and provides historical context to defend the significance of necessity. Williams explores the roles of early and late preventers, the interplay of powers in causation, and how these dynamics shape outcomes. His insights on reciprocal powers and the locality of constellations highlight a complex relationship between necessity and causation.
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Necessity Should Not Be Abandoned
- Neil Williams defends that powers produce their manifestations necessarily, pushing back on recent anti-necessitarians.
- He argues the rejection of necessity was premature and founded on rejectable assumptions.
What Counts As A Counterexample
- Genuine counterexamples require a stimulated power that fails to produce its effect, not mere absence of stimulation.
- Wet matches or prevented stimulations don't challenge necessity because they aren't proper stimulations.
Constellations Define Causation
- Stimulation is the presence/absence of other powers and powers often act in constellations, not simple pairs.
- Manifestations depend on both arrangement and negative space of these constellations.