• The authors evaluate the soundness of the ontological argument they developed in their 1991 paper. They focus on Anselm’s first premise, which asserts that there is a conceivable thing than which nothing greater can be conceived. After casting doubt on the argument Anselm uses in support of this premise, the authors show that there is a formal reading on which it is true. Such a reading can be used in a sound reconstruction of the argument. After this reconstruction is developed in precise detai…Read more
  • The authors investigated the ontological argument computationally. The premises and conclusion of the argument are represented in the syntax understood by the automated reasoning engine PROVER9. Using the logic of definite descriptions, the authors developed a valid representation of the argument that required three non-logical premises. PROVER9, however, discovered a simpler valid argument for God's existence from a single non-logical premise. Reducing the argument to one non-logical premise br…Read more
  • Our computational metaphysics group describes its use of automated reasoning tools to study Leibniz’s theory of concepts. We start with a reconstruction of Leibniz’s theory within the theory of abstract objects (henceforth ‘object theory’). Leibniz’s theory of concepts, under this reconstruction, has a non-modal algebra of concepts, a concept-containment theory of truth, and a modal metaphysics of complete individual concepts. We show how the object-theoretic reconstruction of these components o…Read more
  • Property Identity and Reification
    Australasian Philosophical Review 4 (4): 367-372. 2020.
    ABSTRACT The target article uses the metaphysics of properties to make its meta-ethical claims. This comment discusses two general points in the metaphysics of properties. The first point has to do with the conditions for property identity. Philosophers who accept the existence of properties have proposed a variety of criteria for their identity. The standard Broome applies is medium coarse. Other standards for property identity could be evaluated for their appropriateness for addressing questio…Read more
  • A Computationally-Discovered Simplification of the Ontological Argument
    Australasian Journal of Philosophy 89 (2): 333-349. 2011.
    The authors investigated the ontological argument computationally. The premises and conclusion of the argument are represented in the syntax understood by the automated reasoning engine PROVER9. Using the logic of definite descriptions, the authors developed a valid representation of the argument that required three non-logical premises. PROVER9, however, discovered a simpler valid argument for God's existence from a single non-logical premise. Reducing the argument to one non-logical premise br…Read more