The Atlas of Reality

The Atlas of REALITY

The Atlas of Reality: A Comprehensive Guide to Metaphysics presents an extensive examination of the key concepts, principles, and arguments of metaphysics, traditionally the very core of philosophical thought. Representing the first exhaustive survey of metaphysics available, the book draws from historic sources while presenting the latest cutting-edge research in the field. Seminal works of philosophers such as David Lewis, Alvin Plantinga, Kit Fine, Peter van Inwagen, John Hawthorne and many others are covered in depth, without neglecting the critical contributions of historical figures like René Descartes, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Bertrand Russell, and more.

Written in an accessible manner without sacrificing rigor, readers at all levels will gain illuminating insights into metaphysical topics ranging from the problem of universals, individuation and composition, and relations and qualities, to time, space, causation, existence, modality, and idealism. The authors also articulate the emergence of several coherent metaphysical theses, including neo-Aristotelian, neo-Humean, and more recent alternatives put forth by W. V. O. Quine and David M. Armstrong. Competing views are clearly and fairly represented, and key axioms and methodological assumptions are flagged and cross-referenced, providing scholars with an invaluable tool for future research in metaphysics.

Unprecedented in breadth of topic coverage and depth of analyses, The Atlas of Reality is an essential resource for those seeking a thorough understanding of one of the most compelling, influential, and enlightening sub-fields of philosophy in today's world.

Autorentext
ROBERT C. KOONS is a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author of Paradoxes of Belief and Strategic Rationality (1993) and Realism Regained (2000), co-author of Metaphysics: The Fundamentals (with Tim Pickavance, 2014), and co-editor of The Waning of Materialism (with George Bealer, 2010). TIMOTHY PICKAVANCE is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Talbot Department of Philosophy at Biola University. He is co-author of Metaphysics: The Fundamentals (with Robert Koons, 2014).

Klappentext
The Atlas of Reality: A Comprehensive Guide to Metaphysics presents an extensive examination of the key concepts, principles, and arguments of metaphysics, traditionally the very core of philosophical thought. Representing the first exhaustive survey of metaphysics available, the book draws from historic sources while presenting the latest cutting-edge research in the field. Seminal works of philosophers such as David Lewis, Alvin Plantinga, Kit Fine, Peter van Inwagen, John Hawthorne and many others are covered in depth, without neglecting the critical contributions of historical figures like René Descartes, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Bertrand Russell, and more. Written in an accessible manner without sacrificing rigor, readers at all levels will gain illuminating insights into metaphysical topics ranging from the problem of universals, individuation and composition, and relations and qualities, to time, space, causation, existence, modality, and idealism. The authors also articulate the emergence of several coherent metaphysical theses, including neo-Aristotelian, neo-Humean, and more recent alternatives put forth by W. V. O. Quine and David M. Armstrong. Competing views are clearly and fairly represented, and key axioms and methodological assumptions are flagged and cross-referenced, providing scholars with an invaluable tool for future research in metaphysics. Unprecedented in breadth of topic coverage and depth of analyses, The Atlas of Reality is an essential resource for those seeking a thorough understanding of one of the most compelling, influential, and enlightening sub-fields of philosophy in today's world.

Zusammenfassung
The Atlas of REALITY The Atlas of Reality: A Comprehensive Guide to Metaphysics presents an extensive examination of the key concepts, principles, and arguments of metaphysics, traditionally the very core of philosophical thought. Representing the first exhaustive survey of metaphysics available, the book draws from historic sources while presenting the latest cutting-edge research in the field. Seminal works of philosophers such as David Lewis, Alvin Plantinga, Kit Fine, Peter van Inwagen, John Hawthorne and many others are covered in depth, without neglecting the critical contributions of historical figures like René Descartes, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Bertrand Russell, and more. Written in an accessible manner without sacrificing rigor, readers at all levels will gain illuminating insights into metaphysical topics ranging from the problem of universals, individuation and composition, and relations and qualities, to time, space, causation, existence, modality, and idealism. The authors also articulate the emergence of several coherent metaphysical theses, including neo-Aristotelian, neo-Humean, and more recent alternatives put forth by W. V. O. Quine and David M. Armstrong. Competing views are clearly and fairly represented, and key axioms and methodological assumptions are flagged and cross-referenced, providing scholars with an invaluable tool for future research in metaphysics. Unprecedented in breadth of topic coverage and depth of analyses, The Atlas of Reality is an essential resource for those seeking a thorough understanding of one of the most compelling, influential, and enlightening sub-fields of philosophy in today's world.

Inhalt
Acknowledgements xvii Part I Foundations 1 Introduction 3 1.1 A Brief History of Metaphysics 3 1.2 Why Do Metaphysics? 5 1.3 How to Use the Book 9 2 Truthmakers 13 2.1 Introduction 13 2.2 Five Arguments for Classical Truthmaker Theory 19 2.3 The Challenge of Deflationism 25 2.4 Truthmaker Maximalism 30 2.5 Alternatives to Truthmaker Maximalism 36 2.6 Conclusion and Preview 44 Notes 45 3 Grounding, Ontological Dependence, and Fundamentality 47 3.1 Is Grounding Real? 49 3.2 Relation between Grounding and Truthmaking 55 3.3 Relation between Grounding and Ontological Dependence 58 3.4 Conceptual vs. Extra-Conceptual Grounding 62 3.5 Alternatives to Grounding? 65 3.6 Can Grounding Relations be Grounded? 69 3.7 Connections between Grounding and Entailment 71 3.8 How is Grounding Different from Causal Explanation? 72 3.9 Conclusion: Grounding and Ontological Economy 72 Notes 73 Part II Dispositions 4 Conditionals 77 4.1 Counterfactual Conditionals: Semantics, Logic, and Metaphysics 78 4.2 Hypotheticalism 84 4.3 Anti-Hypotheticalism and Laws of Nature 86 4.4 Strong Hypotheticalism: Counterfactual Accounts of Powers and Dispositions 90 Notes 92 5 Laws of Nature 94 5.1 Strong Nomism: The Dretske-Armstrong-Tooley (DAT) Theory of Laws 94 5.2 Neo-Humeism: Reduction of Conditionals, Laws, and Powers 99 Notes 105 6 Powers and Properties 106 6.1 Advantages of Strong Powerism 106 6.2 The Individuation of Properties 108 6.3 Objections to Strong Powerism 118 6.4 Conclusion 121 Notes 121 Part III Universals and Particulars 7 Universals 125 7.1 Introduction 125 7.1.1 What properties must explain 126 7.2 Realism 128 7.3 Universals and the Problem of Intentionality 142 7.4 Properties as the Ground of Causal Powers 145 Notes 145 8…