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MENTAL MODEL · M13172

Ceteris Paribus Laws

Ceteris Paribus Laws
TechnicalHigh supportScientific Methodology
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Updated 2026-09-10

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INTRODUCTION

English translation pending.

CORE DEFINITION

Ceteris paribus laws are regularity statements in the special sciences of the form: other things being equal, under normal conditions, or absent interfering factors, if F then G. They admit exceptions yet are still treated as laws with explanatory and predictive force. The entry examines whether such hedged generalizations can be genuine laws, and what makes their provisos non-trivial rather than vacuous.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

- Attribute exceptions: on meeting a counterexample, first check whether an interfering condition was triggered. - Vet the law: see whether the proviso can be spelled out, and if not, treat the claim as empty. - Predict across domains: use dispositional regularities in social science and accept probabilistic conclusions.

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The objects of the special sciences are disturbed by multiple factors, so exceptionless universal statements are hard to come by, and regularities are restricted to normal or undisturbed conditions. Their status rests on two things: there must be an intelligible basis in normal conditions or dispositions, and the proviso must not be arbitrary, or the law degenerates into a vacuous tautology or an accidental generalization.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Source support: Explicit

  • link
    plato.stanford.eduhttps://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ceteris-paribus/ZH · Explicit
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