more from Willard Quine

Single Idea 18440

[catalogued under 9. Objects / F. Identity among Objects / 6. Identity between Objects]

Full Idea

Physical objects are identical if and only if coextensive.

Gist of Idea

Identity of physical objects is just being coextensive

Source

Willard Quine (On the Individuation of Attributes [1975], p.101)

Book Reference

Quine,Willard: 'Theories and Things' [Harvard 1981], p.101


A Reaction

The supposed counterexample to this is the statue and the clay it is made of, which are said to have different modal properties (destroying the statue doesn't destroy the clay).