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Synopsis
Dispositions are essential to our understanding of the world. Dispositions: A Debate is an extended dialogue between three distinguished philosophers - D.M. Armstrong, C.B. Martin and U.T. Place - on the many problems associated with dispositions, which reveals their own distinctive accounts of the nature of dispositions. These are then linked to other issues such as the nature of mind, matter, universals, existence, laws of nature and causation.
Booknews
In this context, a disposition is a property (i.e. solubility, fragility, etc.) which, under certain conditions, changes the thing which has it. (For example, something with solubility will dissolve if put in water.) Of concern to philosophers is the fact that though dispositions are real properties, they are described in terms of things that could, but might not take place. Here, three philosophers (from Australia, Canada, and Wales) offer their views, including ideas that extend to issues such as the nature of mind, matter, universals, existence, laws of nature, and causation. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.