Properties

Douglas Edwards is lecturer in philosophy at the University of Aberdeen.

• Preface x1 Introducing Properties 11.1 Why Think that There Are Properties? 11.2 What Is a Theory of Properties? 81.3 A Methodological Strategy 81.4 The Jobs Properties Do 91.5 Definitions and Terminological Notes 111.6 Further Reading 142 Universals 162.1 Introduction 162.2 Transcendental Universals 162.3 Immanent Universals 282.4 Further Reading 463 Tropes 483.1 Introduction 483.2 The Basic Idea 493.3 Tropes and Causation 513.4 Properties as Sets of Tropes 533.5 The Relation between Objects and Tropes 543.6 Accounting for Resemblance between Tropes 613.7 Tropes and Universals 643.8 Further Reading 674 Properties Eliminated? 684.1 Introduction 684.2 Russell and Quine on Ontological Commitment 694.3 Ostrich Nominalism 714.4 Primitive Predication 734.5 Paraphrase 744.6 Objects and Properties 774.7 A Revised One Over Many Problem 784.8 Implications for Ostrich Nominalism 804.9 Implications for Universals and Tropes 804.10 Further Reading 845 Varieties of Nominalism 855.1 Introduction 855.2 Predicate and Concept Nominalism 865.3 Class Nominalism 945.4 Mereological Nominalism 1005.5 Resemblance Nominalism 1045.6 Chapter Summary 1105.7 Further Reading 1116 Pluralist Views of Properties 1126.1 Introduction 1126.2 The Distinction between Abundant and Natural Properties 1146.3 Grounding the Distinction: Universals, Tropes and Primitive Naturalness 1186.4 Degrees of Naturalness: Supervenience, Definability and Grounding 1216.5 Universals, Tropes and Degrees of Naturalness 1286.6 Graded versus Egalitarian Conceptions of Naturalness 1306.7 Chapter Summary 1356.8 Further Reading 1367 Kinds of Properties 1377.1 Introduction 1377.2 Methodology: Descriptive and Prescriptive Metaphysics 1387.3 Mathematical Properties 1407.4 Mental Properties 1447.5 Moral Properties 1487.6 Chapter Summary 1577.7 Further Reading 158Conclusion 159Notes 164References 169Index 177

"Talk of properties is ubiquitous throughout philosophy, but the literature on the subject can be disparate and thorny. Edwards has therefore produced an extremely valuable book – one which not only presents a masterful overview of the current literature on the nature of properties, but, building on earlier work by Lewis, presents a new 'pluralist' view of the subject. A must read for anyone working on properties or metaphysics more generally."Michael Lynch, University of Connecticut "A nice introduction to the extremely dense group of issues that surround the metaphysics of properties. The reader-friendly prose and presentation of ideas make this difficult topic accessible to undergraduates and other non-experts."Paul Audi, University of Nebraska at Omaha