Ideas from 'Ontological Dependence' by Kit Fine [1995], by Theme Structure

[found in 'Aristotelian Society' (ed/tr -) [ ,]].

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1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 5. Aims of Philosophy / c. Philosophy as generalisation

14255

We understand things through their dependency relations

1. Philosophy / E. Nature of Metaphysics / 1. Nature of Metaphysics

14250

Metaphysics deals with the existence of things and with the nature of things

2. Reason / D. Definition / 4. Real Definition

14259

Maybe two objects might require simultaneous real definitions, as with two simultaneous terms

7. Existence / A. Nature of Existence / 3. Being / b. Being and existence

14253

An object's 'being' isn't existence; there's more to an object than existence, and its nature doesn't include existence

7. Existence / C. Structure of Existence / 4. Ontological Dependence

14254

Dependency is the real counterpart of one term defining another

14251

A natural modal account of dependence says x depends on y if y must exist when x does

14257

An object depends on another if the second cannot be eliminated from the first's definition

14261

There is 'weak' dependence in one definition, and 'strong' dependence in all the definitions

9. Objects / B. Unity of Objects / 1. Unifying an Object / c. Unity as conceptual

14252

We should understand identity in terms of the propositions it renders true

9. Objects / D. Essence of Objects / 2. Types of Essence

14256

How do we distinguish basic from derived esssences?

14258

Maybe some things have essential relationships as well as essential properties

9. Objects / D. Essence of Objects / 4. Essence as Definition

14260

An object only essentially has a property if that property follows from every definition of the object