Absence and nothing : the philosophy of what there is not / Stephen Mumford.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Mumford, Stephen, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Nothing (Philosophy).

Presence (Philosophy).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xi, 222 pages) illustrations.

Other Title:

Philosophy of what there is not

Place of Publication:

Oxford, England : Oxford University Press, [2021]

Summary:

This book argues that nothing is not and explains how we can meaningfully speak about what is not.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: 1. Soft Parmenideanism

1.1. Nothing really matters

1.2. first argument

1.3. Soft ontological Parmenideanism

1.4. Soft methodological Parmenideanism

1.5. Is the cat out of the bag?

1.6. way forward

2. Negative Properties

2.1. What would be a negative property?

2.2. Arguments against negative properties

2.3. For negative properties

2.4. Summation and further work

3. Nonentities

3.1. Negative particulars

3.2. Non-beings

3.3. Limits, boundaries, edges, and stops

3.4. Privations

3.5. Omissions

3.6. Negatives norms

3.7. Negative epistemic states

3.8. Logical and mathematical negatives

4. Causation by Absence

4.1. Negative causation

4.2. More cases

4.3. Creation ex nihilo

4.4. Why causation by absence spells trouble

4.5. Attempts to stop escalation

4.6. Other ways of explaining causation by absence

4.7. Explanation but not causal explanation

4.8. Summary of conclusions

5. Mere Possibilities

5.1. Possible queues ahead

5.2. Reification

5.3. Fictionalism

5.4. Grounding possibility in what there is

5.5. Parmenidean possibility

7. Perception of Absence

7.1. Seeing what is not there

7.2. Our subject matter

7.3. Perceptual theories

7.4. Cognitive theories

7.5. Dennettian account

7.6. Where this leaves us

8. Empty Reference

8.1. Can we talk about nothing?

8.2. axiom of existence

8.3. Proxy referents

8.4. Aboutness

8.5. Fictionalism

8.6. Pretence

8.7. Reference failure

8.8. Aboutness again

9. Negative Truth

9.1. hippo not in the room

9.2. Molnars problematic

9.3. Solutions proper?

9.4. Attempted solutions that reject at least one of (Mi)-(Miv)

9.5. more recent solution

9.6. Impasse?

10. Negation and Denial

10.1. Partial success?

10.2. equivalence thesis

10.3. separate functions of assertion and denial

10.4. What are you denying?

10.5. Can you deny a denial?

10.6. Logic and complex denials

10.7. Internal and external negations

10.8. Conclusion

11. Negative Belief

11.1. final reckoning

11.2. Inventories of being and non-being

11.3. How to believe that something is not

11.4. Types of negative belief

11.5. Ontological Parmenideanism

11.6. Final words.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

Other Format:

Print version: Mumford, Stephen Absence and Nothing

ISBN:

0-19-186930-9

0-19-256728-4

OCLC:

1285166997