The Routledge Handbook of Metametaphysic

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Cover Half Title Series Page Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents Notes on Contributors Introduction What is metametaphysics? The structure of this volume Part I: The history of metametaphysics Part II: Neo-Quineanism (and its objectors) Part III: Alternative conceptions of metaphysics Part IV: The epistemology of metaphysics Part V: Science and metaphysics Editors’ acknowledgements Part I The history of metametaphysics 1 Metametaphysics in Plato and Aristotle Introduction Plato takes some time out to reflect on the meaning of the expression “to be” Aristotle takes some time out to consider whether the multivocity of the expression “to be” is compatible with an enquiry into being Notes References 2 Kantian meta-ontology 1 Meta-ontology 2 The nature of existence 3 The problem of modal representation 4 Cognising the real modalities 5 Conclusion Notes References 3 Rudolf Carnap: pragmatist and expressivist about ontology The data The theory Problems and complexities Conclusion Notes References 4 Quine’s metametaphysics 1 The view from a distance 2 ‘On what there is’ 3 ‘Two dogmas of empiricism’ 4 Word & Object 5 ‘Ontological relativity’ Conclusion Notes References 5 Metaphysical realism and anti-realism What is metaphysical realism? Relationship to semantics and epistemology Arguments against metaphysical realism Metaphysical anti-realism Conclusion Notes References 6 From modal to post-modal metaphysics The modal revolution Problems with modal metaphysics Onwards to the post-modal future Conclusion Notes References Part II Neo-Quineanism (and its objectors) 7 Ontological commitment and quantifiers 1 Quine and his successors 2 Carnap and his successors 3 Meinong and his successors 4 Closing remarks Notes References 8 Quantifier variance 1 The claim 2 Arguments for quantifier variance 3 Challenges for quantifier pluralism 4 Challenges for quantifier egalitarianism 5 Quantifier variance and common-sense ontology 6 Conclusion Notes References 9 Verbal disputes and metaphysics 1 Introduction 2 Verbal disputes 3 Accounts of mere verbalness 4 The Hirsch/Sider debate 5 Merely verbal deflationism 6 Triviality and semantic under-specification 7 Conclusion Notes References 10 Absolute generality 1 The role of absolutism 2 Anti-absolutism 3 Recarving Anti-Absolutism 4 Strong Absolutism 5 Quantifying over everything Notes References 11 The metametaphysics of neo-Fregeanism 1 Introduction 2 Background 3 Platonism and logicism 4 The neo-Fregean as quietist 5 Easy existence 6 Early Wright and Hale 7 Content recarving and implicit definition 8 The metaontology of abstraction 9 Concluding remarks Notes References 12 Easy ontology 1 A brief history of easy arguments 2 The importance of easy ontology 3 Objections to easy arguments 4 Conclusion Notes References 13 Defending the importance of ordinary existence questions and debates I Ordinary questions about existence II Conditions for cogent/serious ontological questioning and debates III How Carnap and application-conditions neoCarnapians eliminate ontological debate IV Quine’s attempted resurrection of ontological debate V Equivocality ontology VI Coupling univocality with neutrality VII Concluding homily about linguistic science and metametaphysics Notes References 14 Ontological pluralism Elite quantifiers Can pluralism be defined? Pluralism and generic quantification Notational variance Conclusion Notes References Part III Alternative conceptions of metaphysics 15 Grounding Introduction 1 Substantive questions 2 Theoretical economy 3 Location problems 4 Conclusion Notes References 16 Fundamentality The view What work the fundamental? Open issues Notes References 17 Metaphysical explanation 1 ‘Explanation’ 2 Why believe in metaphysical explanation? 3 Grounding and metaphysical explanation 4 Models of metaphysical explanation 5 Realism and anti-realism 6 Concluding remarks Notes References 18 Truthmaking and metametaphysics 1 Ontological commitment: Quine versus truthmaking 2 Truthmaking, easy ontology, and (very) hard ontology Notes References 19 Essence 1 Introducing essence 2 Modalism about essence 3 Beyond modalism 4 Extending essence 5 Essence and identity Notes References 20 Fictionalist strategies in metaphysics 1 Introduction 2 The analogy with fiction 3 Fictionalist paraphrases 4 Objections to fictionalism 5 The benefits of fictionalism References 21 Global expressivism 1 Globalizing expressivism 2 Global-expressivism I 3 Global-expressivism II (inferentialism) 4 Expressivism about meaning 5 Metasemantics meets metametaphysics References 22 Hylomorphic unity How many unities? Hylomorphic divisions The potentiality of matter Matter:form = potentiality:actuality The unity of a definition: double hylomorphism Aristotle’s two accounts of hylomorphic unity My account of the unity of substance Conclusion Notes References 23 Feminist metametaphysics The importance of the social Metaphysical concepts and political power Notes References 24 Social ontology I Eliminativism and reduction II Fundamentality and mind-dependence III Naturalness IV Conclusion Notes References Further reading 25 Natural language ontology 1 The role of ontology in the semantics of natural language 2 How can natural language ontology be situated within metaphysics? 3 Recognizing natural language ontology as a discipline of its own 4 What sorts of linguistic data reflect the ontology of natural language and how is the ontology of natural language to be characterized? 5 Universals of natural language ontology 6 The syntactic core-periphery distinction 7 The ontology of natural language and other ontologies 8 Conclusion Acknowledgments Notes References 26 Phenomenology as metaphysics The metaphysical neutrality of phenomenology The metaphysical implications of phenomenology Phenomenology and idealism Notes References Part IV The epistemology of metaphysics 27 A priori or a posteriori? 1 The role of the distinction in metametaphysics1 2 How can we distinguish between a priori and a posteriori knowledge? 3 Bootstrapping and cyclical processing 4 Connection to modal epistemology 5 Connection to science and naturalistic metaphysics 6 Concluding remarks Notes References 28 The epistemology of modality 1 Background 2 The epistemic challenge in modality 3 Uniformity vs non-uniformity 4 The structure of modal knowledge 5 Final remarks and further reading Notes References 29 Ideology and ontology Introduction Ideological commitments Lewis’ contribution Quine’s contribution Sider’s contribution Open questions about ideology Notes References 30 Primitives Theories and their primitives – some examples “Problem-solvers” The functional view On explanatory power Note References 31 Conceptual analysis in metaphysics 1 Introduction 2 What is metaphysics? 3 What is conceptual analysis? 4 How much does conceptual analysis matter to metaphysics? 5 Conceptual analysis and the discovery of properties 6 The bearing of conceptual claims and analyses on issues in metaphysics: three case studies 7 The inevitability of conceptual analysis 8 Conceptual analysis and rewriting sentences 9 A quick summary Notes References 32 Contingentism in metaphysics 1 Introduction 2 Entity contingentism 3 Metaphysical contingentism 4 Conclusion Notes References Further reading 33 Is metaphysics special? What is the question? Metaphysics Is metaphysics especially glorious? Is metaphysics especially problematic? Conclusion Notes References Part V Science and metaphysics 34 Science-guided metaphysics Introduction The norms of ‘science-guided metaphysics’ The conceptual problem The practice problem The progress problem Conclusion Notes References 35 Methods in science and metaphysics 1 What are science and metaphysics? 2 What are the methodologies of science and metaphysics? 3 The relationship between science and metaphysics Notes References 36 Thing and non-thing ontologies Discrete objects: from Aristotelian metaphysics to ontic structural realism Discrete objects: events instead of substances Continuous stuff Conclusion References 37 Moderately naturalistic metaphysics Introduction 1 Kinds of metaphysics, and the naturalistic option 2 Radically naturalistic metaphysics 3 Moderately naturalistic metaphysics 4 Further remarks Conclusions Notes References 38 Metaphysics as the ‘science of the possible’ 1 Stating the view 2 Some further details 3 Floating free from science? 4 How distinctive? 5 Conceptual analysis? 6 Knowing the possible? 7 Conclusion Notes References Index