Abstract
One of the theoretical functions attributed to universals is to work as natural laws – or, at least, to be something on which natural laws are dependent. It is argued in this chapter that only transcendent universals can satisfy this theoretical function. Transcendent universals have been postulated as constituents of natural laws since 1977 by Michael Tooley. The cases presented by Tooley are discussed and generalized. Functional laws are not of use for Aristotelians to explain those cases. On the contrary, functional laws are an additional reason to postulate Platonic universals. Finally, it is considered whether there is a unique nomic structure invariant through all possible worlds.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Synthese Library |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media B.V. |
| Pages | 159-187 |
| Number of pages | 29 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2020 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Publication series
| Name | Synthese Library |
|---|---|
| Volume | 428 |
| ISSN (Print) | 0166-6991 |
| ISSN (Electronic) | 2542-8292 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2020, The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.