Ontology, Identity, and Modality
Essays in Metaphysics

Thirteen of Peter van Inwagen's essays on metaphysics, with a specially-written introduction.

Peter van Inwagen (Author)

9780521795487, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 22 March 2001

272 pages
21.8 x 14 x 1.7 cm, 0.417 kg

This book gathers together thirteen of Peter van Inwagen's essays on metaphysics, several of which have acquired the status of modern classics in their field. They range widely across such topics as Quine's philosophy of quantification, the ontology of fiction, the part-whole relation, the theory of 'temporal parts', and human knowledge of modal truths. In addition, van Inwagen considers the question as to whether the psychological continuity theory of personal identity is compatible with materialism, and defends the thesis that possible states of affairs are abstract objects, in opposition to David Lewis's 'extreme modal realism'. A specially-written introduction completes the collection, which will be an invaluable resource for anyone interested in metaphysics.

Introduction
Part I. Ontology: 1. Meta-ontology
2. Why I don't understand substitutional quantification
3. Creatures of fiction
4. Why is there anything at all? Part II. Identity: 5. The doctrine of arbitrary undetached parts
6. Composition as identity
7. Four-dimensional objects
8. Temporal parts and identity across time
9. Materialism and the psychological-continuity account of personal identity
Part III. Modality: 10. Indexicality and actuality
11. Plantinga on trans-world identity
12. Two concepts of possible worlds
13. Modal epistemology
Index.

Subject Areas: Philosophy: metaphysics & ontology [HPJ]