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33Multiple studies and weak evidential defeatTheoretical Medicine and Bioethics 38 (5): 353-366. 2017.When a study shows statistically significant correlation between an exposure and an outcome, the credence of a real connection between the two increases. Should that credence remain the same when it is discovered that further independent studies between the exposure and other independent outcomes were conducted? Matthew Kotzen argues that it should remain the same, even if the results of those further studies are discovered. However, we argue that it can differ dependent upon the results of the …Read more
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284Michael Almeida, The Metaphysics of Perfect Beings, Routledge, 2008European Journal for Philosophy of Religion 8 (4): 243--247. 2016.Book review of 'The Metaphysics of Perfect Beings'
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97Mereological Explanation and Time TravelAustralasian Journal of Philosophy 88 (2): 333-345. 2010.I have previously argued in a paper with Robson that a particular time travel scenario favours perdurantism over endurantism on the grounds that endurantists must give up on the Weak Supplementation Principle. Smith has responded, arguing that the reasons we provided are insufficient to warrant this conclusion. This paper agrees with that conclusion (for slightly different reasons: that even the perdurantist has to give up on the Weak Supplementation Principle) but argues that the old argument c…Read more
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176This paper argues that, if we believe both in works of music and sets, that the former are the latter. My argument is that such an ontology offers more explanatory power than the alternatives when it comes to explaining why works of music fall under the predicates that they do
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335Endurantism and timeless worldsAnalysis 67 (2): 140-147. 2007.A paper against Ted Sider's argument for perdurantism on the grounds of timeless worlds
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70Harmoniously Investigating Concrete StructuresThought: A Journal of Philosophy 2 (3): 190-195. 2013.Traynor identifies a tension between armchair reasoning telling us about the mereological structure of objects and empirical investigation telling us about the structure of spacetime. Section 1 explains, and bolsters, that tension. Section 2 discusses Traynor's resolution, and suggests some possible problems with it, whilst Section 3 discusses an alternative
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1704Endurantism and PerdurantismIn Robert Barnard & Neil Manson (eds.), Continuum Companion to Metaphysics, Continuum Publishing. pp. 170. 2012.An introduction to the theories of endurantism and perdurantism, and persistence more broadly.
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379A mereological challenge to endurantismAustralasian Journal of Philosophy 85 (4). 2007.In this paper, we argue that time travel is problematic for the endurantist. For it appears to be possible, given time travel, to construct a wall out of a single time travelling brick. This commits the endurantist to one of the following: (a) the wall is composed of the time travelling brick many times over; (b) the wall does not in fact exist at all; (c) the wall is identical to the brick. We argue that each of these options is unsatisfactory.
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189An unwelcome consequence of the Multiverse ThesisSynthese 184 (3): 375-386. 2012.The Multiverse Thesis is a proposed solution to the Grandfather Paradox. It is popular and well promulgated, found in fiction, philosophy and (most importantly) physics. I first offer a short explanation on behalf of its advocates as to why it qualifies as a theory of time travel (as opposed to mere 'universe hopping'). Then I argue that the thesis nevertheless has an unwelcome consequence: that extended objects cannot travel in time. Whilst this does not demonstrate that the Multiverse Thesis i…Read more
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221It is a common view that if composition as identity is true, then so is mereological universalism (the thesis that all objects have a mereological fusion). Various arguments have been advanced in favour of this: (i) there has been a recent argument by Merricks, (ii) some claim that Universalism is entailed by the ontological innocence of the identity relation, (or that ontological innocence undermines objections to universalism) and (iii) it is entailed by the law of selfidentity. After a prelim…Read more
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99An Introduction to OntologyPolity. 2013.In this engaging and wide-ranging new book, Nikk Effingham provides an introduction to contemporary ontology - the study of what exists - and its importance for philosophy today. He covers the key topics in the field, from the ontology of holes, numbers and possible worlds, to space, time and the ontology of material objects - for instance, whether there are composite objects such as tables, chairs or even you and me. While starting from the basics, every chapter is up-to-date with the most rece…Read more
Areas of Specialization
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Philosophy of Religion |
Metaphysics |
Metaontology |
Modality |
Objects |
Ontology |
Properties |
Time |
Areas of Interest
2 more
Philosophy of Religion |
Metaontology |
Modality |
Objects |
Ontology |
Properties |
Time |