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494What is the Grounding Problem?Philosophical Studies 156 (2): 173-197. 2011.A philosophical standard in the debates concerning material constitution is the case of a statue and a lump of clay, Goliath and Lumpl, respectively. According to the story, Lumpl and Goliath are coincident throughout their respective careers. Monists hold that they are identical; pluralists that they are distinct. This paper is concerned with a particular objection to pluralism, the Grounding Problem. The objection is roughly that the pluralist faces a legitimate explanatory demand to explain v…Read more
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1343Getting priority straightPhilosophical Studies 149 (1): 73-97. 2010.Consider the kinds of macroscopic concrete objects that common sense and the sciences allege to exist: tables, raindrops, tectonic plates, galaxies, and the rest. Are there any such things? Opinions differ. Ontological liberals say they do; ontological radicals say they don't. Liberalism seems favored by its plausible acquiescence to the dictates of common sense abetted by science; radicalism by its ontological parsimony. Priority theorists claim we can have the virtues of both views. They hold …Read more
UCLA
Department Of Philosophy
Alumnus
Burlington, Vermont, United States of America
Areas of Specialization
Metaphysics |
Philosophy of Language |
Logic and Philosophy of Logic |
PhilPapers Editorships
Critiques and Defenses of Grounding |