Abstract entities / Sam Cowling.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Cowling, Sam, author.

Series:

New problems of philosophy

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Entity (Philosophy).

Abstraction.

Physical Description:

x, 281 pages ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, 2017.

Contents:

1 The case for platonism 23

1.1 Platonism 23

1.2 Semantic arguments 26

1.3 Alethic arguments 38

1.4 Indispensability arguments 47

1.5 Metaphysical explanation 57

2 The abstract-concrete distinction 69

2.1 The standard view 70

2.2 Analyzing abstractness 74

2.3 Primitivism 92

2.4 Eliminativism 97

3 Paradox, parsimony, and infinite regresses 106

3.1 Paradox 107

3.2 Parsimony 114

3.3 Infinite regresses 120

4 Causal concerns 130

4.1 Epistemic access 130

4.2 Ensuring epistemic access 138

4.3 Semantic access 147

4.4 Cognitive access 150

4.5 Eleaticism 155

5 Non-uniqueness 162

5.1 The non-uniqueness problem 162

5.2 Living with non-uniqueness 169

5.3 Metaphysical underdetermination 177

5.4 Overcoming underdetermination 179

6 Modal objections 189

6.1 Necessary existents 190

6.2 Necessary connections 196

6.3 Contingent platonism 201

6.4 Abstracts and actuality 206

7 Nominalist options 214

7.1 Nominalisms 214

7.2 Meaning 216

7.3 Truth 220

7.4 Commitment 228

7.5 Harvard nominalism revisited 234.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781138827585

1138827584

9781138827592

1138827592

OCLC:

957312506