Disposition

The debate about dispositions in metaphysics attempts to understand the fundamental nature of properties, including how they relate to laws of nature.^[1] The initial question asks if dispositions are real.

Realism about dispositions or dispositionalism, argues that dispositions are causally efficacious properties inherent to objects that are sufficient to produce change. Consider fragility. If a glass is suitably struck, it will break. Fragility is a property of the glass that accounts for this breaking. Paradigmatic examples of dispositional properties include fragility, solubility, and flammability. Dispositionalism maintains that even paradigmatic examples of what appears to be qualitative such as squareness has causal powers (for instance - when combined with the property of hardness - to make a square impression in soft wax).^[2] This view is historically argued for by Aristotle and Leibniz. Contemporary proponents include Sydney Shoemaker, U.T. Place, Stephen Mumford, Alexander Bird, George Molnar, and Brian Ellis.^[3]

Others answer that dispositions are not real properties. Anti-realism about dispositions, or categorical, argues that dispositions are ontologically derivative of the interaction of categorical (or qualitative) properties and laws. Accordingly calling a glass fragile, is a useful shorthand for describing the potential interactions of its microstructure (a categorical property) and the laws of nature; dispositions are not additional elements of being.^[3][4] Since the microstructure and laws are enough to explain fragility, there is no causal role for a dispositional property, here fragility, to play. This view is historically argued for by Descartes, Boyle, Hume and the logical positivists. Contemporary proponents, including David Lewis, David Malet Armstrong, and Jonathan Schaffer, continue in a neo-Human, empiricist tradition that argues for categorical on the assumption that there are no necessary connections between distinct existences.^[5]

Middle ground views are possible. The most notable is the Limit (or Identity) View defended by Charles B. Martin and John Heil. According to this view, dispositional and categorical - or as Martin prefers "qualitative", because categorical seems to be misleading - predicates are different ways of identifying one and the same property.^{[citation needed]} Additionally, the properties lie on a spectrum in which it could approach either limit; however, it can never reach either end because those concepts are unrealizable. Ontologically, however, there is no real difference between the two. Fragility, for example, is both a real disposition of glass to break upon being struck and abstraction from the underlying molecular structure. Squareness, to take another example, is both a quality of having four sides of equal length that meet at equal angles and an abstraction from the fact this property interacts with its environment to leave square impressions on soft wax (when combined with the property ‘hardness’).^[6]

In law, a disposition is a civil or criminal hearing where a case can be resolved.

In the realm of education, dispositions refer to the tendencies of individuals to respond to, interpret, and construct learning opportunities in particular ways. These dispositions are not static but are dynamically affected by educational experiences, which can either strengthen or weaken them. Claxton and Carr (2004) argue for a deliberate approach to fostering learning dispositions, suggesting that classrooms and early childhood settings play a crucial role in enhancing these dispositions. They emphasize that education should aim to increase the frequency, robustness, and complexity of valued learning responses, thereby deepening students' competencies and expanding their methods of learning.^[7]

The development of learning dispositions within educational settings is seen as essential, as these environments can exemplify and encourage the growth of such dispositions. Documenting the development of these dispositions is considered an important feedback mechanism for the involved community, including teachers, children, and families. This documentation calls for further research on methods to trace the development of learning dispositions beyond a single educational setting.^[8]

In the context of higher education, studies have shown variations in students' inclinations towards research and information gathering. For instance, in a study conducted by Hardy, Kordonowy, and Liss (2024), students in different course sections demonstrated varying degrees of problem-exploring and answer-getting dispositions in their end-of-term reflections. This variation underscores the influence of instructional design and the educational environment on shaping students' learning dispositions.^[9][10]

The concept of dispositions in early childhood education has been a subject of interest for researchers like Katz (1985), who explore how these dispositions develop in young learners. The Effective Lifelong Learning Inventory (ELLI) has been a tool to measure various learning dispositions, such as critical curiosity, creativity, and meaning-making. These dispositions are essential for continuous improvement and adaptation in the learning process.^[10][11]

In addition to formal educational settings, the understanding and application of learning dispositions have significance in informal learning and personal development contexts. As highlighted in Dispositions Toward Learning by Well, the journey of learning is continuous and evolving, with each individual carrying their unique set of dispositions throughout this process. This perspective emphasizes the importance of recognizing and nurturing one's dispositions not only in academic or structured settings but also in self-guided learning endeavors and everyday life experiences. Such an approach encourages a lifelong learning mindset, where individuals continuously adapt and apply their learning dispositions in various contexts, including emerging platforms like digital media and online communities.^[12]

Summary: Dispositions in education encompass the tendencies and inclinations that shape how individuals engage with learning opportunities. These dispositions are influenced and developed through formal educational settings, as well as personal and informal learning environments. Education plays a crucial role in strengthening and diversifying these dispositions, enhancing learners' competencies and approaches to learning. The documentation and assessment of learning dispositions, as discussed in various studies, are vital for providing feedback to the educational community, including students, teachers, and families. This comprehensive view recognizes the dynamic nature of dispositions in both academic and personal development contexts, highlighting the importance of continuous adaptation and application of learning dispositions throughout an individual's life.

In Christian thought, "disposition" has two meanings. Firstly, it may refer to a deliberately practiced habit of behaving in a certain way, for example, "a virtue is an habitual and firm disposition to do the good."^[9] Secondly, it may refer to a state of a person that is required for reception of a sacrament, for example, a disposition of genuine repentance is required for the forgiveness of sins in confession.^[13]

• Ability
• Adaptive expertise
• Counterfactualism
• Dispositional attribution
• Habitus (sociology)
• Nature versus nurture
• Truth

• Disposition at PhilPapers
• Disposition at the Indiana Philosophy Ontology Project
• Zalta, Edward N. (ed.). "Dispositions". Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.