A critique of LaPorte's views on chemical kinds, like jade and ruby, is presented. More positively, a new slant is provided on the question of whether elements are natural kinds. This is carried out by appeal to the dual nature of elements, a topic that has been debated in the philosophy of chemistry but not in the natural kinds literature. It is claimed that the abstract notion of elements, as opposed to their being simple substances, is relevant to the Kripke–Putnam approach to natural kinds and to some criticisms that have been raised against it, although I do not support the K–P account. The proposed view avoids the traditional microstructuralist approach to natural kinds. The article also addresses the question of whether natural kinds concern metaphysical or epistemological considerations. Recent attempts by chemists to modify the periodic table are brought to bear on the question of classification and consequently on whether the identification of elements is interest dependent.

中文翻译：

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关于化学天然种类

对 LaPorte 对化学种类（如玉石和红宝石）的看法提出了批评。更积极的是，在元素是否为自然类的问题上提供了新的倾向。这是通过诉诸元素的双重性质来实现的，这一主题在化学哲学中一直存在争议，但在自然类文献中却没有。据称，元素的抽象概念，而不是它们是简单的实体，与 Kripke-Putnam 对自然种类的方法和一些反对它的批评有关，尽管我不支持 K-P 帐户. 提议的观点避免了对自然种类的传统微观结构主义方法。文章还解决了自然类是否涉及形而上学或认识论考虑的问题。