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Full Idea
There seems to be a mysterious desire to posit entities simply because certain terms pop up in our vocabulary. But we should not be so indiscriminate about our posits, even if our talk is properly vetted.
Gist of Idea
We shouldn't posit the existence of anything we have a word for
Source
Neil E. Williams (The Powers Metaphysics [2019], 04.1)
Book Ref
Williams,Neil E.: 'The Powers Metaphysics' [OUP 2019], p.69
A Reaction
This should hardly need saying, and the familiar example is 'for the sake of' entailing sakes, but it seems to be a vice that is still found in metaphysical philosophy. The word 'nothingness' comes to mind.
Related Idea
Idea 23774 There are basic powers, which underlie dispositions, potentialities, capacities etc [Williams,NE]
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] |