Philosophy Dictionary of ArgumentsHome | |||
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Indistinguishability: when indistinguishability is used as an epistemic concept, an identity cannot be deduced from a given indistinguishability, e.g. in the case of mistaken material samples or color hues close to each other. If indistinguishability is determined with respect to a selected property, it is unproblematic. In the case of elementary particles, a complete description does not always lead to distinguishability. See also Leibniz's Law, Leibniz Principle, identity, partial identity, identification, distinctions, four dimensionalism._____________Annotation: The above characterizations of concepts are neither definitions nor exhausting presentations of problems related to them. Instead, they are intended to give a short introduction to the contributions below. – Lexicon of Arguments. | |||
Author | Concept | Summary/Quotes | Sources |
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Bas van Fraassen on Indistinguishability - Dictionary of Arguments
I 214 Distinction/Fraassen: a gradual distinction is also a distinction - E.g. observation by an electron microscope, through a windowpane. - There is no continuity. >Observation, >Experiments, >Observability, >Theories, >Science._____________Explanation of symbols: Roman numerals indicate the source, arabic numerals indicate the page number. The corresponding books are indicated on the right hand side. ((s)…): Comment by the sender of the contribution. Translations: Dictionary of Arguments The note [Concept/Author], [Author1]Vs[Author2] or [Author]Vs[term] resp. "problem:"/"solution:", "old:"/"new:" and "thesis:" is an addition from the Dictionary of Arguments. If a German edition is specified, the page numbers refer to this edition. |
Fr I B. van Fraassen The Scientific Image Oxford 1980 |