Property Versatility and Copredication

by David Liebesman, Ofra Magidor

Overview

Nearly all properties are, to a certain extent, versatile: there are many different ways to instantiate them. Consider a light-blue scarf and a dark-blue gemstone. They share the property of being blue, despite being different kinds of objects and differing in the way in which they are blue. The key insight explored in this book is that this apparently mundane observation should be extended: many properties are considerably more versatile than theorists typically take them to be. This insight turns out to be incredibly powerful in addressing a wide range of issues in the philosophy of language, metaphysics, and beyond.

One such issue is the problem of copredication. Copredication sentences such as 'Lunch was delicious but took hours' are common yet puzzling. These sentences can be true despite seemingly ascribing incompatible properties: it appears that only the food eaten can be delicious, and only the event attended can take hours. This book offers a comprehensive discussion of the problem of copredication, including a critical evaluation of extant approaches to the problem and culminating with a defence of the Property Versatility approach to copredication. In addition, the book demonstrates how Property Versatility is a powerful tool in addressing a wide range of issues beyond copredication, including the semantics of generics, the metaphysics of establishments and repeatable artworks, fictional discourse, and the nature of ambiguity, as well as a host of others.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780192894236
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	10/15/2025
Pages:	464
Product dimensions:	5.79(w) x 8.74(h) x 1.18(d)

About the Author

David Liebesman, Professor of Philosophy and Linguistics, University of Calgary,Ofra Magidor, Waynflete Professor of Metaphysical Philosophy, University of Oxford

David Liebesman is Professor of Philosophy and Linguistics at the University of Calgary.


Ofra Magidor is Waynflete Professor of Metaphysical Philosophy at the University of Oxford.

Table of Contents

IntroductionI. Dual Nature Approaches to Copredication1. Introduction to Dual Nature Approaches2. Asher's Theory of Copredication3. Gotham's Theory of Copredication4. Additional Dual Nature Approaches and Concluding RemarksII. Additional Approaches to Copredication5. Reinterpretation Approaches6. Scepticism about Externalist Semantics7. Polysemy, Copredication, and Polysemy-centric ApproachesIII. The Property Versatility Approach to Copredication8. The Property Versatility Approach9. The Property Versatility Approach: Detailed Case StudiesIV. The Property Versatility View of Generics10. The Property Versatility View of Generics Motivated11. The Property Versatility View of Generics DefendedV. Property Versatility and Social Ontology12. The Metaphysics of Establishments13. The Metaphysics of Repeatable Artworks14. Property Versatility and Fictional DiscourseVI. Further Applications of Property Versatility15. Further Applications of Property Versatility