The metaphysics of mixed quantities.
This article focuses on the metaphysics of physical quantities, particularly mixed quantities—those expressed as products or quotients of basic quantities like mass, length, and time—and their role in explaining nomic constants such as the gravitational constant. It develops a representationalist fr...
| Publicado en: | Nous (0029-4624) Vol. 60; no. 2; pp. 235 - 264 |
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| Formato: | Artículo |
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Wiley-Blackwell
Jun2026
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| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hlh&AN=193121930&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: hlh uiTerm: 193121930 longDbName: Humanities International Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 00294624 D97 jtl: Nous (0029-4624) issn: 00294624 maglogo: Y pubinfo: dt: Jun2026 vid: 60 iid: 2 pid: 480 pub: Wiley-Blackwell artinfo: ui: 193121930 10.1111/nous.70003 ppf: 235 ppct: 29 formats: fmt: – @attributes: type: T – @attributes: type: P size: 329KB tig: atl: The metaphysics of mixed quantities. aug: au: Turner, Jason affil: Department of Philosophy, The University of Arizona, Tucson Arizona, , USA su: Metaphysics Physical constants Representation (Philosophy) Realism Physical laws sug: subj: Metaphysics Physical constants Representation (Philosophy) Realism Physical laws ab: This article focuses on the metaphysics of physical quantities, particularly mixed quantities—those expressed as products or quotients of basic quantities like mass, length, and time—and their role in explaining nomic constants such as the gravitational constant. It develops a representationalist framework called Rational Reductionism, which extends standard representationalism by defining mixed quantities as relations (products and quotients) among basic quantities, thereby providing a number-free, intrinsic account of what numerical values of constants represent. The article addresses a challenge known as the Pandora problem, which arises for comparativist views that treat quantities as nonfundamental, by showing that incorporating fundamental relations tied to mixed quantities can preserve determinism and distinguish physically distinct worlds. It also compares Rational Reductionism with an alternative view, Algebraic Realism, which treats mixed quantities as fundamental entities related by additional algebraic operations, discussing their respective advantages and challenges without endorsing one conclusively. The work aims to clarify how physical laws involving mixed units can be understood metaphysically without reliance on arbitrary numerical assignments or extraneous mathematical objects. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: Y custom: Copyright of Nous (0029-4624) is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. item: Nous (0029-4624) holder: Wiley-Blackwell dt: @attributes: year: 2026 holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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