Combining Texts

All the ideas for 'Precis of 'Limits of Abstraction'', 'Intro to Oxford Hndbk of Metaphysics' and 'Intensions Revisited'

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11 ideas

1. Philosophy / E. Nature of Metaphysics / 6. Metaphysics as Conceptual

9217	Modern empirical metaphysics focuses on ontological commitments of discourse, or on presuppositions [Loux/Zimmerman]

2. Reason / D. Definition / 2. Aims of Definition

10528

Definitions concern how we should speak, not how things are [Fine,K]

4. Formal Logic / D. Modal Logic ML / 1. Modal Logic

13591

Quantified modal logic collapses if essence is withdrawn [Quine]

6. Mathematics / B. Foundations for Mathematics / 5. Definitions of Number / d. Hume's Principle

10529

If Hume's Principle can define numbers, we needn't worry about its truth [Fine,K]

10530

Hume's Principle is either adequate for number but fails to define properly, or vice versa [Fine,K]

9. Objects / D. Essence of Objects / 15. Against Essentialism

13590

Essences can make sense in a particular context or enquiry, as the most basic predicates [Quine]

10. Modality / A. Necessity / 11. Denial of Necessity

8483	Necessity is relative to context; it is what is assumed in an inquiry [Quine]

10. Modality / E. Possible worlds / 1. Possible Worlds / e. Against possible worlds

13589

Possible worlds are a way to dramatise essentialism, and yet they presuppose essentialism [Quine]

10. Modality / E. Possible worlds / 3. Transworld Objects / b. Rigid designation

13588

A rigid designator (for all possible worlds) picks out an object by its essential traits [Quine]

11. Knowledge Aims / A. Knowledge / 4. Belief / a. Beliefs

13592

Beliefs can be ascribed to machines [Quine]

18. Thought / E. Abstraction / 7. Abstracta by Equivalence

10527

An abstraction principle should not 'inflate', producing more abstractions than objects [Fine,K]