Oxford Studies in Metaphysics

by Dean Zimmerman

Overview

Oxford Studies in Metaphysics is the forum for the best new work in this flourishing field. Much of the most interesting work in philosophy today is metaphysical in character: this new series is a much-needed focus for it. OSM offers a broad view of the subject, featuring not only the traditionally central topics such as existence, identity, modality, time, and causation, but also the rich clusters of metaphysical questions in neighboring fields, such as philosophy of mind and philosophy of science. Besides independent essays, volumes will often contain a critical essay on a recent book, or a symposium that allows participants to respond to one another's criticisms and questions. A special feature of this volume is an unpublished paper on nominalism by W.V. Quine, arguably the most influential figure in philosophy in the second half of the twentieth century. It is accompanied by five specially commissioned commentaries. Topics discussed by other papers in this volume include ontology, location, truthmaking, and physicalism. Anyone who wants to know what's happening in metaphysics can start here.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199542994
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	08/15/2008
Series:	Oxford Studies in Metaphysics , #4
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Dean W. Zimmerman is Professor of Philosophy at Rutgers University, New Jersey.

Table of Contents

I. QUINE'S 1946 LECTURE ON NOMINALISM: A SYMPOSIUM
1. Nominalism, Willard Van Orman Quine
2. Quine and Tarski on Nominalism, Paolo Mancosu
3. Cats, Dogs, and So On, John P. Burgess
4. Quine's Lecture on Nominalism From the Perspective of a Nominalist, Charles Chihara
5. A World of Concrete Particulars, Joseph Melia
6. Quine's 1946 Lecture on Nominalism, Peter van Inwagen
II. SOME PRINCIPLES CONCERNING DEPENDENCE AND NECESSITY
7. Ceteris Absentibus Physicalism, Stephan Leuenberger
8. Truthmakers and Predication, Daniel Nolan
9. On Locating Composite Objects, Jacek Brzozowski
III. GUNK AND BLOBS
10. Gunk, Topology and Measure, Frank Arntzenius
11. The Structure of Gunk: Adventures in the Ontology of Space, Jeffrey T. Russell
12. Beware the Blob: Cautions for Would-Be Metaphysicians, Mark Wilson