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The Problem of Universals in Contemporary Philosophy∗ Scuola Normale Superiore [Pisa - July 5, 2010]
93 Reportage 7 novembre 2010 International conference on Ontology The problem of universals in contemporary philosophy∗ Scuola Normale Superiore [Pisa - July 5, 2010] Gianmarco Brunialti Masera Overview The three-day conference opened in the afternoon of July, 5 and, after taking a quick look at the programme and the names of the important thinkers standing out on it, one could have expected to find a crowded audience room. Actually that was not quite the case. What I could afford to follow and am going to write about here is only the first day of the conference. The debate started right on time, after a short introduction given by Gabriele Galluzzo, both organizer of the conference and member of the scientific board. I would ac- tually like to underline the word debate: each speech (about 40 minutes) was immediately followed by a short discussion of the issues introduced by the proponent. Unfortunately, de- spite of the accurate and punctual speeches, the little time dedicated to each is what most penalized the conference, in my opinion: this inevitably obliged both the speakers and the audience to be plunged in medias res, without standing too much on ceremonies. I take this to be ‘penalizing’, considering the debate on universals is a very wide one and composed by an incredibly great number of positions which can sometimes start from oppo- site sides and some other times depart at some specific middle point of one single theory of properties and relations. Moreover, most (if not all) of them entail a certain number of other metaphysical themes from which the specific problematics of universals cannot be cut off. -
What Is Philosophy.Pdf
I N T R O D U C T I O N What Is Philosophy? CHAPTER 1 The Task of Philosophy CHAPTER OBJECTIVES Reflection—thinking things over—. [is] the beginning of philosophy.1 In this chapter we will address the following questions: N What Does “Philosophy” Mean? N Why Do We Need Philosophy? N What Are the Traditional Branches of Philosophy? N Is There a Basic Method of Philo- sophical Thinking? N How May Philosophy Be Used? N Is Philosophy of Education Useful? N What Is Happening in Philosophy Today? The Meanings Each of us has a philos- “having” and “doing”—cannot be treated en- ophy, even though we tirely independent of each other, for if we did of Philosophy may not be aware of not have a philosophy in the formal, personal it. We all have some sense, then we could not do a philosophy in the ideas concerning physical objects, our fellow critical, reflective sense. persons, the meaning of life, death, God, right Having a philosophy, however, is not suffi- and wrong, beauty and ugliness, and the like. Of cient for doing philosophy. A genuine philo- course, these ideas are acquired in a variety sophical attitude is searching and critical; it is of ways, and they may be vague and confused. open-minded and tolerant—willing to look at all We are continuously engaged, especially during sides of an issue without prejudice. To philoso- the early years of our lives, in acquiring views phize is not merely to read and know philoso- and attitudes from our family, from friends, and phy; there are skills of argumentation to be mas- from various other individuals and groups. -
An Introduction to Philosophy
An Introduction to Philosophy W. Russ Payne Bellevue College Copyright (cc by nc 4.0) 2015 W. Russ Payne Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document with attribution under the terms of Creative Commons: Attribution Noncommercial 4.0 International or any later version of this license. A copy of the license is found at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ 1 Contents Introduction ………………………………………………. 3 Chapter 1: What Philosophy Is ………………………….. 5 Chapter 2: How to do Philosophy ………………….……. 11 Chapter 3: Ancient Philosophy ………………….………. 23 Chapter 4: Rationalism ………….………………….……. 38 Chapter 5: Empiricism …………………………………… 50 Chapter 6: Philosophy of Science ………………….…..… 58 Chapter 7: Philosophy of Mind …………………….……. 72 Chapter 8: Love and Happiness …………………….……. 79 Chapter 9: Meta Ethics …………………………………… 94 Chapter 10: Right Action ……………………...…………. 108 Chapter 11: Social Justice …………………………...…… 120 2 Introduction The goal of this text is to present philosophy to newcomers as a living discipline with historical roots. While a few early chapters are historically organized, my goal in the historical chapters is to trace a developmental progression of thought that introduces basic philosophical methods and frames issues that remain relevant today. Later chapters are topically organized. These include philosophy of science and philosophy of mind, areas where philosophy has shown dramatic recent progress. This text concludes with four chapters on ethics, broadly construed. I cover traditional theories of right action in the third of these. Students are first invited first to think about what is good for themselves and their relationships in a chapter of love and happiness. Next a few meta-ethical issues are considered; namely, whether they are moral truths and if so what makes them so. -
Predication and the Problem of Universals Catherine Legg
View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Research Commons@Waikato Philosophical Papers Vol. 30, No. 2 (July 2001): 117-143 Predication and the Problem of Universals Catherine Legg Abstract: This paper contrasts the scholastic realists of David Armstrong and Charles Peirce. It is argued that the so-called 'problem of universals' is not a problem in pure ontology (concerning whether universals exist) as Armstrong construes it to be. Rather, it extends to issues concerning which predicates should be applied where, issues which Armstrong sets aside under the label of 'semantics', and which from a Peircean perspective encompass even the fundamentals of scientific methodology. It is argued that Peir ce's scholastic realism not only presents a more nuanced ontology (distinguishing the existent front the real) but also provides more of a sense of why realism should be a position worth fighting for. ... a realist is simply one who knows no more recondite reality than that which is represented in a true representation. C.S. Peirce Like many other philosophical problems, the grandly-named 'Problem of Universals' is difficult to define without begging the question that it raises. Laurence Goldstein, however, provides a helpful hands-off denotation of the problem by noting that it proceeds from what he calls The Trivial Obseruation:2 The observation is the seemingly incontrovertible claim that, 'sometimes some things have something in common'. The 1 Philosophical Writings of Peirce, ed. Justus Buehler (New York: Dover Publications, 1955), 248. 2 Laurence Goldstein, 'Scientific Scotism – The Emperor's New Trousers or Has Armstrong Made Some Real Strides?', Australasian Journal of Philosophy, vol 61, No. -
“Bare Particulars”∗ Theodore Sider Philosophical Perspectives 20 (2006), 387–97
“Bare Particulars”∗ Theodore Sider Philosophical Perspectives 20 (2006), 387–97 One often hears a complaint about “bare particulars”. This complaint has bugged me for years. I know it bugs others too, but no one seems to have vented in print, so that is what I propose to do. (I hope also to say a few constructive things along the way.) The complaint is aimed at the substratum theory, which says that partic- ulars are, in a certain sense, separate from their universals. If universals and particulars are separate, connected to each other only by a relation of instanti- ation, then, it is said, the nature of these particulars becomes mysterious. In themselves, they do not have any properties at all. They are nothing but a pincushion into which universals may be poked. They are Locke’s “I know not what” (1689, II, xxiii, §2); they are Plato’s receptacles (Timaeus 48c–53c); they are “bare particulars”.1 Against substratum theory there is the bundle theory, according to which particulars are just bundles of universals. The substratum and bundle theories agree on much. They agree that both universals and particulars exist. And they agree that a particular in some sense has universals. (I use phrases like ‘particular P has universal U ’ and ‘particular P’s universals’ neutrally as between the substratum and bundle theories.) But the bundle theory says that a particular is exhaustively composed of (i.e., is a mereological fusion of) its universals. The substratum theory, on the other hand, denies this. Take a particular, and mereologically subtract away its universals. -
Metaphysics: a Contemporary Introduction: Third Edition
Metaphysics Metaphysics: A contemporary introduction is for students who have already done an introductory philosophy course. Michael J. Loux provides a fresh look at the central topics in metaphysics, making this essential reading for any student of the subject. This third edition is revised and updated and includes two new chapters on Time and Causation. Topics addressed include: • the problem of universals • the nature of abstract entities • the problem of individuation • the nature of modality • identity through time • the nature of time • the Realism/anti-Realism debate Wherever possible, Michael J. Loux relates contemporary views to their classical sources in the history of philosophy. As an experienced teacher of philosophy and an important contributor to recent debates, Loux is uniquely qualified to write this book. The third edition retains the student-friendly features of previous editions: • chapter overviews summarizing the main topics of study • examples to clarify difficult concepts • annotated further reading at the end of each chapter • endnotes and a full bibliography Michael J. Loux is Shuster Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. He is also editor of Metaphysics: Contemporary Readings, designed to accompany this textbook and also published by Routledge. His book Substance and Attribute (1978) is one of the major metaphysics books of recent years. Routledge Contemporary Introductions to Philosophy Series editor: Paul K. Moser Loyola University of Chicago This innovative, well-structured series is for students who have already done an introductory course in philosophy. Each book introduces a core general subject in contemporary philosophy and offers students an access- ible but substantial transition from introductory to higher-level college work in that subject. -
What Is Inference? Penalty
WHAT IS INFERENCE? OR THE FORCE OF REASONING by Ulf Hlobil Dipl.-Psych., University of Trier, 2008 Magister Artium in Philosophy, University of Trier, 2009 M.A. in Philosophy, University of Pittsburgh, 2012 Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Pittsburgh 2016 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH KENNETH P. DIETRICH SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES This dissertation was presented by Ulf Hlobil It was defended on May 31, 2016 and approved by Robert Brandom, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy John McDowell, Distinguished University Professor of Philosophy Kieran Setiya, Professor of Philosophy James Shaw, Associate Professor of Philosophy Dissertation Director: Robert Brandom, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy ii Copyright © by Ulf Hlobil 2016 iii WHAT IS INFERENCE? OR THE FORCE OF REASONING Ulf Hlobil, PhD University of Pittsburgh, 2016 What are we doing when we make inferences? I argue that to make an inference is to attach inferential force to an argument. Inferential force must be understood in analogy to assertoric force, and an argument is a structure of contents. I call this the “Force Account of inference.” I develop this account by first establishing two criteria of adequacy for accounts of inference. First, such accounts must explain why it is absurd to make an inference one believes to be bad. The upshot is that if someone makes an inference, she must take her inference to be good. Second, accounts of inference must explain why we cannot take our inferences to be good—in the sense that matters for inference—by merely accepting testimony to the effect that they are good. -
Realism and Theories of Truth
Realism and Theories of Truth Jamin Asay University of Hong Kong [email protected] Forthcoming in The Routledge Handbook of Scientific Realism, ed. Juha Saatsi 1. Introduction The notion of truth has never been far from the ongoing conversation about scientific realism. Scientific realism (and its opposition) is often defined explicitly in terms of truth, and sometimes it is argued that scientific realism (and its opposition) requires a commitment to particular conceptions about the nature of truth. It’s not difficult to appreciate why. The realist perspective maintains that science succeeds (or aims at succeeding) in correctly capturing the nature of reality, and to correctly describe reality just is to give a true theory about it. While it is fairly indisputable that there is some connection between truth and realism, it remains to be seen just how deep the relationship goes. In this essay, I explore some of the prominent ways that scientific realism and the theory of truth have intersected, and evaluate the arguments that have been offered concerning their relationship. Two basic positions can be articulated when it comes to the relationship between the theory of truth and scientific realism. Those who favor neutrality believe that one’s position on the theory of truth is neutral with respect to one’s position on scientific realism, and vice versa. Even though realism might be defined in terms of truth, it’s a further (and false) claim that realism (or its opposition) must be defined in terms of particular theories of truth. Those who favor a partisan view believe that varieties of scientific realism and anti-realism are tied up in the nature of truth, such that the former are committed to particular perspectives on truth. -
Two Contemporary Approaches to the Individuation of Concrete Particulars: Why a Substance Theory Is a Stronger Account Nicholas Paul Spitzer University of Missouri-St
University of Missouri, St. Louis IRL @ UMSL Theses Graduate Works 7-14-2006 Two Contemporary Approaches To The Individuation Of Concrete Particulars: Why A Substance Theory Is A Stronger Account Nicholas Paul Spitzer University of Missouri-St. Louis Follow this and additional works at: https://irl.umsl.edu/thesis Recommended Citation Spitzer, Nicholas Paul, "Two Contemporary Approaches To The ndI ividuation Of Concrete Particulars: Why A Substance Theory Is A Stronger Account" (2006). Theses. 264. https://irl.umsl.edu/thesis/264 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Works at IRL @ UMSL. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses by an authorized administrator of IRL @ UMSL. For more information, please contact [email protected]. TWO CONTEMPORARY APPROACHES TO THE INDIVIDUATION OF CONCRETE PARTICULARS: WHY A SUBSTANCE THEORY IS A STRONGER ACCOUNT by NICHOLAS PAUL SPITZER B.A., Behavioral Studies, Lael College and Graduate School, St. Louis, MO, 1999 A THESIS Submitted to the Graduate School of the UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI – ST. LOUIS In partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree MASTER OF ARTS in PHILOSOPHY August 2006 Advisory Committee Jon D. McGinnis, Ph.D. Committee Chair Berit Brogaard, Ph.D. Andrew Black, Ph.D. © Copyright 2006 by Nicholas P. Spitzer All Rights Reserved Spitzer, Nicholas (2006), UMSL, page 2 Introduction As we interact with and observe our environment, we confront a world filled with many different entities.1 Some of these entities are things like houses, cars, commercial airplanes, oak trees, spiders, dogs, cats and people. Our initial intuitions seem to be that the world comes carved up with things like these concrete particulars. -
Aristotle on Primary Substance
24.200: Ancient Philosophy Prof. Sally Haslanger November 1, 2004 Aristotle on Primary Substance I. Substance in the Categories In the Categories, Aristotle takes primary substances to be ordinary individuals like Socrates. We noted in connection with this view that a primary substance must be what is both ontologically and epistemically basic, i.e., they must be those things on which the existence of everything else depends, and on which our systematic knowledge depends. Aristotle's view in the Categories that primary substances are ordinary concrete individuals depended on his acceptance of what we called the subject criterion. I.e., primary substances are the primary logical subjects, i.e., they are that in which properties (qualities, quantities, etc.) inhere, and which are themselves the members of kinds (species). "A substance --that which is called a substance most strictly, primarily, and most of all-- is that which is neither said of a subject nor in a subject." (Cat. 2a11) Primary substances are also the subjects of change: "It seems most distinctive of substance that what is numerically one and the same is able to receive contraries [i.e., contrary properties]." (Cat. 4a10) (E.g., a single individual may become hot, having been cold, or may change from being 5' tall to being 5'2" tall.) In his discussion of change in Physics I: 7-9, Aristotle feels the need to accommodate both the demand that in any change something remain through that change, and the demand that there be something "new" as a product of the change. To handle these demands, he distinguishes three "elements" in any change: the matter, the form, the lack. -
Phi 260: History of Philosophy I Prof
Phi 260: History of Philosophy I Prof. Brandon C. Look University of Kentucky Spring 2007 Aristotle’s Metaphysics I. The Nature of Substance According to Aristotle, “there is a science that studies being insofar as it is being.” (1003a21) This is what he elsewhere calls “first philosophy”. And the object of his Metaphysics is just this: to study being in general, to study the nature of existence in its most general aspect. While the special sciences (biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics) focus on specific aspects of existent things (things insofar as they are alive, or composed of atoms and bonded in certain ways, or matter, forces, or energy, or measures of quantity), metaphysics looks at the common features of being in all these sciences. In Metaphysics IV.2, Aristotle writes that “being is spoken of in many ways, but always in reference to one thing.” (1003a34) That one thing is substance: “For some things are called beings because they are substances, others because they are attributes of substance, others because they are a road to substance, or because they are perishings or privations or qualities of substance, or productive or generative of substance or of things spoken of with reference to it, or because they are negations of one of these or of substance.” (1003b6-10) It is the job of the philosopher engaged in metaphysics to “grasp the principles and causes of substances.” (1003a19) Or, as he puts it in Book VII, “the old question… ‘What is being?’ is just the question ‘What is substance?’” (1028b3) In Book VII, Chapter 3, we learn that “substance is spoken of, if not in several ways, at any rate in four main cases. -
Latin Phrases Used in Philosophy
Latin and Greek for Philosophers* James Lesher The following definitions have been prepared to help you understand the meaning of the Latin words and phrases you will encounter in your study of philosophy. But first a word of caution: it would be a mistake to suppose that in mastering these definitions you will have acquired a sufficient grounding in the Latin language to employ these terms successfully in your own work. Here H. W. Fowler offers some good advice: ‘Those who use words or phrases belonging to languages with which they have little or no acquaintance do so at their peril. Even in e.g., i.e., and et cetera, there lurk unsuspected possibilities of exhibiting ignorance’ (Modern English Usage, p. 207). Use these definitions as an aid to understanding the Latin terms and phrases you encounter, but resist the temptation to begin sprinkling them about in your own writings and conversations. Latin prepositions used in the following definitions: a or ab: ‘from’ ad: ‘to’ or ‘toward’ de: ‘from’ or ‘concerning’ ex: ‘from’ or ‘out of’ per: ‘through’ or ‘by’ in: ‘in’ or ‘on’ sub: ‘under’ post: ‘after’ pro: ‘for’ or ‘in exchange for’ propter: ‘because of’ A fortiori: preposition + the ablative neuter singular of the comparative adjective fortior/fortius (literally: ‘from the stronger thing’): arguing to a conclusion from an already established stronger statement (e.g. ‘All animals are mortal, a fortiori all human beings are mortal’). A posteriori: preposition + the ablative neuter singular of the comparative adjective posterior/posteriorus (literally: ‘from the later thing’): things known a posteriori are known on the basis of experience (e.g.