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Full Idea
A striking idea is that relations are ontologically primary: monadic, non-relational features of the world are constituted by relations. A view of this kind is defended by Peirce, and contemporary 'structural realists' like Ladyman.
Gist of Idea
Maybe all the other features of the world can be reduced to relations
Source
John Heil (Relations [2009], 'Relational')
Book Ref
'Routledge Companion to Metaphysics', ed/tr. Le Poidevin/Simons etc [Routledge 2012], p.310
A Reaction
I can't make sense of this proposal, which seems to offer relations with no relata. What is a relation? What is it made of? How do you individuate two instances of a relations, without reference to the relata?
| 21339 | We want the ontology of relations, not just a formal way of specifying them [Heil] |
| 21351 | Truthmaking is a clear example of an internal relation [Heil] |
| 21350 | If properties are powers, then causal relations are internal relations [Heil] |
| 21344 | If R internally relates a and b, and you have a and b, you thereby have R [Heil] |
| 21349 | Two people are indirectly related by height; the direct relation is internal, between properties [Heil] |
| 21348 | In the case of 5 and 6, their relational truthmaker is just the numbers [Heil] |
| 21340 | Maybe all the other features of the world can be reduced to relations [Heil] |