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25Names exist when carving begins (shi zhi you ming 始制有名): A theory of names in Daodejing(道德經)Asian Philosophy 34 (2): 136-152. 2024.Naming or names (ming 名) is one of the key concepts in Daodejing (道德經). According to a popular understanding, names in Daodejing correspond to features (xing 形) of things; ordinary things have names, but Dao is featureless and nameless. What is missing, however, is atheory of the relationship between names and features explaining why ordinary things have names but Dao does not. In this paper, I develop a theory of names in Daodejing that explains how names relate to things and their features. Ac…Read more
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62Many problems of the manySynthese 199 (1-2): 3101-3116. 2020.David Lewis offers two solutions to the problem of the many, one of which relies on supervaluationism and the other on the notion of “almost-identity” for the most part. In this paper, I argue that Lewis’ other metaphysical views constitute reasons to prefer his second solution to the first one. Specifically, Lewis’ theory of propositions and his counterpart theory give rise to two similar problems of the many, which I call “the problem of many propositions” and “the problem of many counterparts…Read more
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639A challenge to the new metaphysics: deRosset, Priority, and explanationSynthese 198 (7): 6403-6433. 2021.Priority Theory is an increasingly popular view in metaphysics. By seeing metaphysical questions as primarily concerned with what explains what, instead of merely what exists, it promises not only an interesting approach to traditional metaphysical issues but also the resolution of some outstanding disputes. In a recent paper, Louis deRosset argues that Priority Theory isn’t up to the task: Priority Theory is committed to there being explanations that violate a formal constraint on any adequate …Read more
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108The Metaphysics of Dao in W ang Bi’s Interpretation of LaoziDao: A Journal of Comparative Philosophy 18 (2): 219-240. 2019.WANG Bi 王弼 develops a metaphysic of Dao 道 in his Commentary on Laozi and “The Structure of Laozi’s Subtle Pointers.” I summarize this metaphysic as the following thesis: Dao is featureless and is the ultimate reason why the myriad things exist and are the ways they are. I develop a systematic account of this thesis: I provide an interpretation of the featurelessness of Dao and show how Dao’s featurelessness relates to its fundamental explanatory role as the ontological ground for the myriad thin…Read more
Orono, Maine, United States of America
Areas of Specialization
Metaphysics |
Chinese Philosophy |
Areas of Interest
Metaphysics |
Chinese Philosophy |
Philosophy of Language |