more from this thinker     |     more from this text

Single Idea 14594

[filed under theme 7. Existence / D. Theories of Reality / 1. Ontologies ]

Full Idea

Four things philosophers often want to know about a given sort of entity are: its existence conditions, its identity conditions, its modal status, and its epistemic status.

Gist of Idea

Ontologists seek existence and identity conditions, and modal and epistemic status for a thing

Source

Chris Swoyer (Abstract Entities [2008], 3)

Book Ref

'Contemporary Debates in Metaphysics', ed/tr. Sider/Hawthorne/Zimmerman [Blackwell 2008], p.22

A Reaction

I prefer 'modal profile' to 'modal status'. The 'existence conditions' sound rather epistemic. Why does the existence of anything require 'conditions' other than just existing? I suspect identity is irrelevant if humans aren't around.

The 15 ideas with the same theme [nature of our theories about fundamental reality]:

22979 Three main questions seem to be whether a thing is, what it is, and what sort it is [Augustine]
13933 Existence questions are 'internal' (within a framework) or 'external' (concerning the whole framework) [Carnap]
6523 Positivists regard ontology as either meaningless or stipulated [Ayer, by Robinson,H]
12210 Quine's ontology is wrong; his question is scientific, and his answer is partly philosophical [Fine,K on Quine]
12320 Ontology is (and always has been) Cantorian mathematics [Badiou]
7679 Ontology is the same as the conceptual foundations of logic [Jacquette]
12217 For ontology we need, not internal or external views, but a view from outside reality [Fine,K]
14594 Ontologists seek existence and identity conditions, and modal and epistemic status for a thing [Swoyer]
3517 'Ontology' means 'study of things which exist' [Maslin]
4474 Existence theories must match experience, possibility, logic and knowledge, and not be self-defeating [Moreland]
13925 Ontology disputes rest on more basic explanation disputes [Haslanger]
23768 A metaphysic is a set of wider explanations derived from a basic ontology [Williams,NE]
23773 Humeans say properties are passive, possibility is vast, laws are descriptions, causation is weak [Williams,NE]
23779 We shouldn't posit the existence of anything we have a word for [Williams,NE]
23786 The status quo is part of what exists, and so needs metaphysical explanation [Williams,NE]