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Single Idea 6129

[filed under theme 9. Objects / C. Structure of Objects / 5. Composition of an Object ]

Full Idea

Lewis says that the parts of a thing are identical with the whole they compose, calling his view 'composition as identity', which is the claim that a physical object is 'nothing over and above its parts'.

Gist of Idea

Lewis affirms 'composition as identity' - that an object is no more than its parts

Source

report of David Lewis (Parts of Classes [1991], p.84-7) by Trenton Merricks - Objects and Persons §I.IV

Book Ref

Merricks,Trenton: 'Objects and Persons' [OUP 2003], p.20

A Reaction

The ontological economy of this view is obviously attractive, but I don't agree with it. You certainly can't say that all identity consists entirely of composition by parts, because the parts need identity to get the view off the ground.

The 23 ideas with the same theme [objects seen as made up of their parts]:

15846 In Parmenides, if composition is identity, a whole is nothing more than its parts [Plato, by Harte,V]
374 If one object is divided into its parts, someone can then say that one are many and many is one [Plato]
597 Is there a house over and above its bricks? [Aristotle]
12507 A mass consists of its atoms, so the addition or removal of one changes its identity [Locke]
14749 Identity is an atemporal relation, but composition is relative to times [Wiggins, by Sider]
14748 The many are many and the one is one, so they can't be identical [Lewis]
6129 Lewis affirms 'composition as identity' - that an object is no more than its parts [Lewis, by Merricks]
15446 Composition is not just making new things from old; there are too many counterexamples [Lewis]
17560 If contact causes composition, do two colliding balls briefly make one object? [Inwagen]
17561 If bricks compose a house, that is at least one thing, but it might be many things [Inwagen]
3304 Why should packed-together particles be a thing (Mt Everest), but not scattered ones? [Benardete,JA]
8279 The identity of composite objects isn't fixed by original composition, because how do you identify the origin? [Lowe]
14747 'Composition as identity' says that an object just is the objects which compose it [Sider]
19302 If a chair could be made of slightly different material, that could lead to big changes [Hale]
10661 'Composition is identity' says multitudes are the reality, loosely composing single things [Varzi]
6127 'Unrestricted composition' says any two things can make up a third thing [Merricks]
6131 Composition as identity is false, as identity is never between a single thing and many things [Merricks]
6132 Composition as identity is false, as it implies that things never change their parts [Merricks]
6141 There is no visible difference between statues, and atoms arranged statuewise [Merricks]
12866 Composition is asymmetric and transitive [Simons]
14892 The idea of composition, that parts of the world are 'made of' something, is no longer helpful [Ladyman/Ross]
10664 Complex particulars are either masses, or composites, or sets [Hossack]
10678 The relation of composition is indispensable to the part-whole relation for individuals [Hossack]