An Extensional Mereology for Structured Entities

Ilaria Canavotto*, Alessandro Giordani

*Autore corrispondente per questo lavoro

Risultato della ricerca: Contributo in rivistaArticolopeer review

Abstract

In this paper, we present an extensional system of mereology suitable to account for the intuitive distinction between heaplike and non-heaplike entities. Since the need to capture this distinction has been a key motivation for non-extensional mereologies, we first assess the main non-extensional systems advanced in the last years and highlight some mereological and metaphysical difficulties they involve. We then advance a novel program, according to which the distinction between heaplike and non-heaplike entities can be accounted for by bringing together the parthood relation characterized by classical extensional mereology and an Aristotelian extensional notion of potential parthood. Thus, while rejecting the thesis of mereological\r\nmonism, our proposal is consistent with the thesis of mereological extensionalism. We show that within this framework it is possible to characterize the above-mentioned distinction, to define the relation of material constitution, and to capture three fundamental standpoints in metaphysics.
Lingua originaleInglese
pagine (da-a)1-32
Numero di pagine32
RivistaErkenntnis
Numero di pubblicazioneN/A
DOI
Stato di pubblicazionePubblicato - 2020

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Filosofia
  • Logica

Keywords

  • extensionality
  • mereology
  • potential parts
  • structured wholes

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