Te Demuestro el ESENCIALISMO con 3 Argumentos 😎 (Te sorprenderá!) | Principios de Filosofía

About this video

• Video Title: Te Demuestro el ESENCIALISMO con 3 Argumentos 😎 (Te sorprenderá!) | Principios de Filosofía
• Channel: Adictos a la Filosofía
• Speakers: Enric (E), Listener (L)
• Duration: 00:23:41

Overview

This video explains the philosophical concept of essentialism, which posits that objects possess real essences or natures independent of human perception or convention. The speaker presents three main arguments in favor of essentialism: the "no-miracles argument," arguments derived from scientific practice and results, and the incoherence of pure conventionalism. The video also clarifies what essentialism is not, differentiating it from existentialism, Platonism, or mystical interpretations.

Key takeaways

• Definition of Essentialism: Essentialism is the thesis that at least some things in the world have real essences or natures that determine what they are, independently of human opinion or convention. This is contrasted with conventionalism, which holds that essences are merely products of human thought and agreement.
• Argument 1: The "No-Miracles Argument": The success of science in predicting and explaining phenomena would be a miracle if reality did not have an underlying structure (essences) that science could approximate. The order and unity observed in the world, both among different things and within a single thing over time, are best explained by the existence of real essences.
• Argument 2: Argument from Science: The practice of science, particularly experimental science, relies on the idea of discovering inherent natures or powers of objects. Controlled experiments are designed to reveal these natures by minimizing external interference, suggesting that scientists are seeking essences. Furthermore, essentialism provides a better metaphysical foundation for scientific laws and results than instrumentalism or abstract theories.
• Argument 3: The Incoherence of Conventionalism: The view that all essences are conventional leads to a contradiction when applied to the mind or the physical constituents of reality. To claim that essences are mind-dependent requires the existence of a mind with its own essence, which cannot itself be a product of the mind without logical circularity. This suggests that essentialism, at least in a minimal sense, is inevitable.
• Corrolary: Inevitability of Essentialism: The video concludes that if anything exists, it must be something, implying it has some nature or essence. Denying essences altogether would mean nothing exists, which is self-refuting. Therefore, essentialism, in some form, is inescapable.