Ontology, Identity, and Modality: Essays in Metaphysics

by Peter van Inwagen

Overview

This book gathers together thirteen of Peter van Inwagen's essays on metaphysics, several of which have acquired the status of modern classics in their field. They range widely across such topics as Quine's philosophy of quantification, the ontology of fiction, the part-whole relation, the theory of "temporal parts," and human knowledge of modal truths. A specially-written introduction completes the collection, which will be an invaluable resource for anyone interested in metaphysics.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521791649
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	03/22/2001
Series:	Cambridge Studies in Philosophy
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	5.75(w) x 8.86(h) x 0.83(d)

Table of Contents

Introduction; Part I. Ontology: 1. Meta-ontology; 2. Why I don't understand substitutional quantification; 3. Creatures of fiction; 4. Why is there anything at all? Part II. Identity: 5. The doctrine of arbitrary undetached parts; 6. Composition as identity; 7. Four-dimensional objects; 8. Temporal parts and identity across time; 9. Materialism and the psychological-continuity account of personal identity; Part III. Modality: 10. Indexicality and actuality; 11. Plantinga on trans-world identity; 12. Two concepts of possible worlds; 13. Modal epistemology; Index.