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Ontology: The Case for Properties

Ontology: The Case for Properties. Do Properties Exist?. There are some true statements about properties. [Commonsense] If there are true statements about properties, then properties exist. [Quine] Properties do not exist. [Theory]. Do Holes Exist?.

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Ontology: The Case for Properties

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  1. Ontology: The Case for Properties

  2. Do Properties Exist? • There are some true statements about properties. [Commonsense] • If there are true statements about properties, then properties exist. [Quine] • Properties do not exist. [Theory]

  3. Do Holes Exist? • There are some true statements about holes. [Commonsense] • If there are true statements about holes, then holes exist. [Quine] • Holes do not exist. [Theory]

  4. Do Properties Exist? • There are some true statements about properties. [Commonsense] • If there are true statements about properties, then properties exist. [Quine] • Properties do not exist. [Theory]

  5. Do Properties Exist? • There are some true statements about properties. [Commonsense] Rephrase • If there are true statements about properties, then properties exist. [Quine] • Properties do not exist. [Theory]

  6. Do Properties Exist? • There are some true statements about properties. [Commonsense] • If there are true statements about properties, then properties exist. [Quine] • Properties do not exist. [Theory] Rethink

  7. Do Properties Exist? • Socrates has wisdom. • Plato and Socrates have wisdom in common. • Plato and Socrates have something in common. • Humility is a virtue.

  8. Do Properties Exist? • Socrates has wisdom. • Wisdom is had by Socrates. • Plato and Socrates have wisdom in common. • Wisdom is had by both Plato and Socrates. • Plato and Socrates have something in common. • There issomething that Plato and Socrates have in common. • Humility is a virtue. • Humility is a virtue.

  9. Do Properties Exist? • Socrates has wisdom. • Socrates is wise. • Plato and Socrates have wisdom in common. • Plato and Socrates are both wise. • Plato and Socrates have something in common. • There are some things that resemble each other; Plato and Socrates are among them. • Humility is a virtue. • ???

  10. Paraphrase:Examples • Ryan: I’m going to be late getting home for dinner - I’m so dead! • Hud: That’s strange – you don’t look dead. Ryan: No, no. I’m not literallydead – I just mean that my wife is going to kill me, so I’ve got to hurry up and get home. • Hud: You’re wife’s going to kill you?! Then why are you in such a hurry to get home? • Ryan: No, no, no. She’s not really going to kill me – she’ll just be upset at me… That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you!

  11. Paraphrase:Examples • Ryan: The average family has 1.8 children. • Hud: 1.8 children?! Now there’s something you don’t see every day! I’d like to meet this family – where do they live? • Ryan: No, no, no – there isn’t really any such thing as the average family. All I meant was that families, on average, have 1.8 children. If you add up all the kids and divide by the number of families, you get 1.8.

  12. Paraphrase:Examples • Ryan: Socrates has wisdom. • Hud: Socrates has wisdom, huh? Well anything that’s good enough for Socrates is good enough for me – where can I get my hands on some of this wisdom stuff? • Ryan: No, no, no. There isn’t really any such thing as wisdom. All I meant was that Socrates was wise.

  13. Paraphrase • (4) Humility is a virtue. • (4’) Everything that is humble is virtuous. • Objection #1: (4’) isn’t true! • Objection #2: Jackson’s Argument.

  14. Paraphrase • (4) Humility is a virtue. • (4’) Everything that is humble is virtuous. • (5) Red is a color. • (5’) Everything that is red is colored. • (6) Red is an extension. • (6’) Everything that is red is extended.

  15. Jackson’s Argument • (6’) isn’t an acceptable paraphrase of (6). • If (6’) isn’t an acceptable paraphrase of (6), then (4’) is not an acceptable paraphrase of (4). • (4’) is not an acceptable paraphrase of (4).

  16. Jackson’s Challenge • (4) Humility is a virtue. • (4’) ??? • (7) Red is a color. • (7’) ??? • (8) Red is more like orange than blue. • (8’) ???

  17. Do Properties Exist? • There are some true statements about properties. [Commonsense] Rephrase • If there are true statements about properties, then properties exist. [Quine] • Properties do not exist. [Theory]

  18. Do Properties Exist? • There are some true statements about properties. [Commonsense] • If there are true statements about properties, then properties exist. [Quine] • Properties do not exist. [Theory] Rethink

  19. Terminology • Something is a concrete object ifff it is located in space. • Something is an abstract object iff it is not concrete (i.e., it isn’t located in space). • Something is a universal iff it can be multiply instantiated. • Something is a particular iff it is not a universal (i.e., it cannot be multiply instantiated).

  20. The Ontological Square

  21. The Ontological Square

  22. Ontological Decisions PROPERTIES UNIVERSAL PARTICULARS PLATONIC ARISTOTELIAN SETS TROPES

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