The discovery that water is H2O |
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| Authors: | Paul Needham |
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| Affiliation: | Department of Philosophy, University of Stockholm, Sweden |
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| Abstract: | What are the criteria determining the individuation of chemical kinds? Recent philosophical discussion, which puts too much emphasis on microstructure, seems to presuppose a reductionist conception not motivated by the scientific facts. The present article traces the development of the traditional notion of a substance with the rise of modern chemistry from the end of the 18th century with a view to correcting this speculative distortion. |
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