Metaphysical Grounding
Metaphysical Grounding
Some of the most eminent and enduring philosophical questions concern matters of priority: what is prior to what? What 'grounds' what? Is, for instance, matter prior to mind? Recently, a vivid debate has arisen about how such questions have to be understood. Can the relevant notion or notions of priority be spelled out? And how do they relate to other metaphysical notions, such as modality, truth-making or essence? This volume of new essays, by leading figures in contemporary metaphysics, is the first to address and investigate the metaphysical idea that certain facts are grounded in other facts. An introduction introduces and surveys the debate, examining its history as well as its central systematic aspects. The volume will be of wide interest to students and scholars of metaphysics.
- The topic is addressed from different angles, involving both informal and formal treatments
- Contains essays from the leading figures in the field
- Gives an introduction which provides a broader survey of the debate, addressing its history as well as its central systematic aspects
Reviews & endorsements
"...Overall, this anthology is a welcome addition to the growing literature on ground. Reading it left me with the impression that, while our understanding of ground is still in its infancy and many important open questions remain to be answered (or even addressed), ground has nevertheless earned its stripes as a subject worthy of study.... the quality of the anthology as a whole is good.... no one working on ground should miss this book. It should also be of interest to those working on metametaphysical questions about the nature, status, and methodology of metaphysics. Even those interested in seemingly peripheral philosophical questions plausibly formulated in terms of ground might deepen their understanding of them by deepening their understanding of ground itself."
--Michael J. Raven, University of Victoria/University of Washington, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews
"...Metaphysical Grounding: Understanding the Structure of Reality is an impressive achievement, contains penetrating insight, is clearly-written, and carefully-argued."
---George Lăzăroiu, PhD, Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies in, Humanities and Social Sciences, New York, Review of Contemporary Philosophy
Product details
November 2014Paperback
9781107460287
320 pages
229 × 152 × 17 mm
0.43kg
7 b/w illus.
Available
Table of Contents
- Grounding: an opinionated introduction Fabrice Correia and Benjamin Schnieder
- 1. Guide to ground Kit Fine
- 2. Scepticism about grounding Chris Daly
- 3. A clarification and defense of the notion of grounding Paul Audi
- 4. Grounding, transitivity, and contrastivity Jonathan Schaffer
- 5. Violations of the principle of sufficient reason (in Leibniz and Spinoza) Michael Della Rocca
- 6. Requirements on reality Robbie Williams
- 7. Varieties of ontological dependence Kathrin Koslicki
- 8. Asymmetrical dependence in individuation E. J. Lowe
- 9. Simple metaphysics and 'ontological dependence' Jody Azzouni
- 10. Truthmakers and dependence David Liggins
- 11. Expressivism about truth-making Stephen Barker.
