Pure possibilities and some striking scientific discoveries

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Abstract

Regardless or independent of any actuality or actualization and exempt from spatiotemporal and causal conditions, each individual possibility is pure. Actualism excludes the existence of individual pure possibilities, altogether or at least as existing independently of actual reality. In this paper, I demonstrate, on the grounds of my possibilist metaphysics-panenmentalism-how some of the most fascinating scientific discoveries in chemistry could not have been accomplished without relying on pure possibilities and the ways in which they relate to each other (for instance, in theoretical models). The discoveries are the following: Dan Shechtman's discovery of quasicrystals; Linus Pauling's alpha helix; the discovery of F. Sherwood Rowland and Mario J. Molina concerning the destruction of the atmospheric ozone layer; and Neil Bartlett's noble gas compounds. On the grounds of the analysis of these cases, actualism must fail, whereas panenmentalism gains support.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)149-163
Number of pages15
JournalFoundations of Chemistry
Volume16
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2014

Keywords

  • Actualism
  • Excluding possibilities
  • Models
  • Panenmentalism
  • Possibilism
  • Scientific discoveries

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Chemistry
  • Biochemistry
  • History

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