ABSTRACT
Historical kinds are constituted by their process of reproduction. This account is compatible with the means and mechanisms of reproduction being extremely diverse, including, for example, type setting, copying machines, genetics, epigenetics and, particularly for human kinds, various modes of social learning. Historical kinds, in contrast, have multiple shared features and typically also multiple stages of reproduction. Items like copied smiles share only a couple of features with their origin and are reproduced once or a couple of times. There will nevertheless be a continuum between the two, and the boundary is going to be blurry for some cases. The issue of individuation is part and parcel of addressing the common-cause question. To be precise, the common-cause question has two components: one to do with individuation and one to do with explanation. Individuation or demarcation of relevant kinds has also proved to be a big issue in the debate about the nature of species.
