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Thèse
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∈ : Formal concepts in a material world truthmaking and exemplification as types of determination

Contributeurs/tricesKeller, Philipp
Directeurs/tricesMulligan, Kevin
Date de soutenance2007-10-24
Résumé

In the first part ("Determination"), I consider different notions of determination, contrast and compare modal with non-modal accounts and then defend two a-modality theses concerning essence and supervenience. I argue, first, that essence is a a-modal notion, i.e. not usefully analysed in terms of metaphysical modality, and then, contra Kit Fine, that essential properties can be exemplified contingently. I argue, second, that supervenience is also an a-modal notion, and that it should be analysed in terms of constitution relations between properties. In the second part ("A Theory of Truthmaking"), I first review the literature on ontological commitment, and argue that the notion of truthmaking is better suited to play its explanatory rôle. I then argue that we should take truthmaker theory seriously, and that we should provide actual truthmakers for all truths there are. In the last chapter of this part, I review Armstrong's truthmaker theories and argue that they are unsatisfactory. I generalise my criticism to an argument against truthmaker necessitarianism, the view that truthmakers necessarily make true the truths they are truthmakers of. In the third part ("Properties and their Kind(s)"), I discuss qualitative determination. I present and endorse the truthmaker argument for universals, and defend universalism against friends of tropes, states of affairs and facts. I then give a novel characterisation of the important class of intrinsic properties, building on Lewis' work. With a workable notion of intrinsicness at hand, I argue that relations are ontologically – but not "ideologically" – dispensable: qualitative determination in general is a matter of intrinsic structure. In the future, I plan to add two parts and to publish my thesis as a book: In the fourth part ("Exemplification"), I argue for the existence of an exemplification relation tying universals and particulars together. I derive theoretical benefits from this relation by providing adverbialist theories of modality and tense and identify exemplification with a type of parthood. In the fifth part ("Qua qua qua"), I investigate the curious and interesting ontological category of so-called "qua-objects" (Picasso-as-a-painter, for example) and argue that they exist, are not identical with transworld indidivuals or modal parts and that they provide (contingent) truthmakers for all true predications.

eng
Mots-clés
  • Philosophy
  • Metaphysics
  • Universals
  • Modality
  • Essence
  • Truthmaking
Citation (format ISO)
KELLER, Philipp. ∈ : Formal concepts in a material world truthmaking and exemplification as types of determination. 2007. doi: 10.13097/archive-ouverte/unige:15033
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Informations techniques

Création28.01.2011 14:19:00
Première validation28.01.2011 14:19:00
Heure de mise à jour14.03.2023 16:51:08
Changement de statut14.03.2023 16:51:08
Dernière indexation29.01.2024 19:09:20
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