Ellis and Lierse on dispositional essentialism

Abstract

This paper supports the dispositional essentialism advanced by Ellis and Lierse (Australasian Journal of Philosophy, 1994) but shows how the ontology for dispositions that Ellis and Lierse regard as necessary for such a position is not so. Ellis and Lierse attack the notion of laws of nature being contingent but, given the world relativity of disposition ascriptions, one can still support the view that dispositional properties may be essential properties for some kinds while allowing that they have different dispositions in other possible worlds. This point is the key to an alternative ontology for dispositions.