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Universality is not sufficient to distinguish laws of nature from accidental regularities. A multitude of additional defining features have been suggested. Yet, once it is acknowledged that exceptionless universality is not the only criterion for lawhood it is possible to start questioning whether it is necessary.

Markus Schrenk’s The Metaphysics of Ceteris Paribus Laws takes this bold step and it’s provocative conclusion is that existing theories—especially David Lewis’s and David Armstrong’s—are, in fact, strong enough to guarantee lawhood even if there are instances that do not conform to the laws. Schrenk also advances two novel theories for special science ceteris paribus laws. His unorthodox exploration has the potential to stimulate a new debate about laws, lawhood and exceptions.

This work has received the Award for Furthering Research in Ontology of the German Society for Analytic Philosophy (GAP).

Markus Schrenk is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow within the Metaphysics of Science Project undertaken by the Universities of Nottingham, Bristol and Birmingham. He was previously a Junior Research Fellow and Lecturer in Philosophy at Worcester College, Oxford. He received his DPhil from Oxford University in 2006.

“Markus Schrenk’s book is the first monograph about metaphysical issues concerning laws with exceptions. His tight and compelling argumentations also cover themes from philosophy of religion and cosmology.”

Professor Albert Newen, University of Tübingen

“Markus Schrenk’s The Metaphysics of Ceteris Paribus Laws is an exceptional contribution to ontology which sheds a new light on our concept of laws of nature. The clear, vigorous, and convincing argumentation is exemplary for analytic metaphysics.”

Professor Hans Rott, German Society for Analytic Philosophy

“This is a fascinating thesis, with many original ideas, well-informed, clearly written and argued, which throws light on the different conceptions of law of nature found in contemporary philosophy.”

Professor Dorothy Edgington, University of Oxford