Dispositionalism and the Metaphysics of Science

Dispositionalism - the view that causal powers are among the irreducible properties of nature - is one of the main competing theories within the metaphysics of laws, yet its connection to related debates remains underexplored. This book establishes new links between dispositionalism and core topics within metaphysics and the philosophy of science.

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Dispositionalism is the view that causal powers are among the irreducible properties of nature. It has long been among the core competing positions in the metaphysics of laws, but its potential implications for other key debates within metaphysics and the philosophy of science have remained under-explored. Travis Dumsday fills this major gap in the literature by establishing new connections between dispositionalism and such topics as substance ontology, ontic structural realism, material composition, emergentism, natural-kind essentialism, perdurantism, time travel, and spacetime substantivalism. He also puts forward a novel view concerning the precise relationship between causal powers and the fundamental laws of nature. His rich and accessible study will appeal to readers interested in contemporary analytic metaphysics and philosophy of science.