Towards Non-Being

by Graham Priest

Overview

Towards Non-Being presents an account of the semantics of intentional language—verbs such as 'believes', 'fears', 'seeks', 'imagines'. Graham Priest tackles problems concerning intentional states which are often brushed under the carpet in discussions of intentionality, such as their failure to be closed under deducibility. Priest's account draws on the work of the late Richard Routley (Sylvan), and proceeds in terms of objects that may be either existent or non-existent, at worlds that may be either possible or impossible. Since Russell, non-existent objects have had a bad press in Western philosophy; Priest mounts a full-scale defence. In the process, he offers an account of both fictional and mathematical objects as non-existent. The book will be of central interest to anyone who is concerned with intentionality in the philosophy of mind or philosophy of language, the metaphysics of existence and identity, the philosophy or fiction, the philosophy of mathematics, or cognitive representation in AI.

This updated second edition adds ten new chapters to the original eight. These further develop the ideas of the first edition, reply to critics, and explore new areas of relevance. New topics covered include: conceivability, realism/antirealism concerning non-existent objects, self-deception, and the verb to be.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780198783602
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	09/28/2016
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	406
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Graham Priest, Graduate Center, City University of New York

Graham Priest is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the Graduate Center, City University of New York. He has held professorial positions at a number of universities in Australia, the UK, and the USA. He is well known for his work on non-classical logic, and its application to metaphysics and the history of philosophy.

Table of Contents

I. Semantics for Intentionality1. Intentional Operators2. Identity3. Objects of Thought4. Characterization and DescriptionsII. In Defence of Non-Being5. On What There Isn't6. Fiction7. Mathematical Objects and Worlds8. Multiple DenotationIII. Impossible Worlds and (other) Non-existent Objects9. Possibility, Impossibility, and Conceivability10. Lost in Translation11. Phenomenological Pointing12. Poor Non-Existent Objects13. Other Issues from the First EditionIV: Et Cetera14. Creating Non-Existents15. Neighbourhood Semantics16. Self-Deception17. Sein Language18. How the Particular Quantified Become Existentially Loaded Behind Our Backs

Editorial Reviews

"there is a good deal in TNB2 to interest readers of TNB1. Of the latter, I once wrote that 'while I disagree with a very great deal of it, this is a stimulating, thought-provoking, and challenging book. This is a turbulent Priest whom we should be glad to have among us'. Ten years later, I see no reason to change a word of that." — Bob Hale, Philosophica Mathematica

"Priest has provided a very clear and honest accounting of what has been overlooked—non—existents. His book is clearly written and welcome reading." — Metapsychology Reviews Online

From the Publisher