Cartwright, Nancy. Where Do Laws of Nature Come From?
1997, Dialectica 51(1): 65-78.
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Added by: Jamie CollinSummary: Cartwright explains and defends the view that causal capacities are more fundamental than laws of nature. She does this by considering scientific practice: the kind of knowledge required to make experimental setups and predictions is knowledge of the causal capacities of the entities in those systems, not knowledge of laws of nature.Comment: A good introduction to Cartwright's views and the position that causal capacities are real and more fundamental than laws of nature. Useful reading for both undergraduate and graduate courses in philosophy of science and metaphysics.Can’t find it?Contribute the texts you think should be here and we’ll add them soon!