Modes, Disturbances, and Spatio-Temporal Location

In Alex Moran & Carlo Rossi (eds.), Objects and Properties. Oxford: Oxford University Press (forthcoming)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

It is a standard assumption in contemporary metaphysics that concrete objects come with a location in space and time. This applies not only to material objects and events, but also modes (such as the roundness of the apple, the softness of the pillow, Socrates' wisdom) and entities that have been called 'disturbances' (e.g. holes, folds, faults, and scratches). Taking the approach of descriptive metaphysics, I will show that modes and disturbances fail to have a bearer-independent spatial location. This allows for a metaphysical explanation of the Chomskyan contrast between 'There is a fly believed to be in the bottle' and the unacceptable 'There is a flaw believed to be in the argument'. A subsidiary point this paper makes is that in their lack of a direct spatial location, modes need to be sharply distinguished from tropes as a category of foundationalist metaphysics that has been at the center of a pursuit of a one-category ontology since Williams (1953).

Author's Profile

Friederike Moltmann
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique

Analytics

Added to PP
2022-08-01

Downloads
343 (#44,534)

6 months
194 (#11,721)

Historical graph of downloads since first upload
This graph includes both downloads from PhilArchive and clicks on external links on PhilPapers.
How can I increase my downloads?