TY - JOUR
T1 - Easy ontology, application conditions and infinite regress
AU - Brenner, Andrew
N1 - Funding information:
This study was supported by Riksbankens Jubileumsfond.
Publisher copyright:
© The Author(s) 2018.
PY - 2018/10
Y1 - 2018/10
N2 - In a number of recent publications Thomasson has defended a deflationary approach to ontological disputes, according to which ontological disputes are relatively easy to settle, by either conceptual analysis, or conceptual analysis in conjunction with empirical investigation. Thomasson’s “easy” approach to ontology is intended to derail many prominent ontological disputes. In this paper I present an objection to Thomasson’s approach to ontology. Thomasson’s approach to existence assertions means that she is committed to the view that application conditions (i.e., conditions which need to be met in order for some existence assertion to be true) associated with any term “K” with non-trivial application conditions must refer to the existence of things other than Ks. Given other components of her meta-ontological scheme, this leads to either an infinite regress or circularity of application conditions, both of which seem objectionable. Accordingly, some part of Thomasson’s meta-ontological scheme should be modified or abandoned.
AB - In a number of recent publications Thomasson has defended a deflationary approach to ontological disputes, according to which ontological disputes are relatively easy to settle, by either conceptual analysis, or conceptual analysis in conjunction with empirical investigation. Thomasson’s “easy” approach to ontology is intended to derail many prominent ontological disputes. In this paper I present an objection to Thomasson’s approach to ontology. Thomasson’s approach to existence assertions means that she is committed to the view that application conditions (i.e., conditions which need to be met in order for some existence assertion to be true) associated with any term “K” with non-trivial application conditions must refer to the existence of things other than Ks. Given other components of her meta-ontological scheme, this leads to either an infinite regress or circularity of application conditions, both of which seem objectionable. Accordingly, some part of Thomasson’s meta-ontological scheme should be modified or abandoned.
UR - https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85055470469&doi=10.1093%2fanalys%2fany029&partnerID=40&md5=bfb3e585e038d9d0cfb43fc62b8dc25e
U2 - 10.1093/analys/any029
DO - 10.1093/analys/any029
M3 - Journal article
SN - 0003-2638
VL - 78
SP - 605
EP - 614
JO - Analysis
JF - Analysis
IS - 4
ER -