more from Michael Jubien

Single Idea 13385

[catalogued under 9. Objects / A. Existence of Objects / 6. Nihilism about Objects]

Full Idea

There is a certain - very mild - sense in which I don't think the physical world comes with ready-made objects. I think instead that we (conventionally) carve it up into objects, and this can be done any way we like.

Gist of Idea

Basically, the world doesn't have ready-made 'objects'; we carve objects any way we like

Source

Michael Jubien (Possibility [2009], 1.5)

Book Reference

Jubien,Michael: 'Possibility' [OUP 2009], p.32


A Reaction

I have no idea how one could begin to refute such a view. Obviously there are divisions (even if only of physical density) in the world, but nothing obliges us to make divisions at those points. We happily accept objects with gaps in them.