This Is Metaphysics

KRIS McDANIEL is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. In addition to his core work in metaphysics, he maintains research interests in ethics and in the history of philosophy. His work has been published in many journals, including Nous, Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, Mind, and Philosophical Quarterly.

• An Introduction to This is Metaphysics 10.1 Who is This Book for? 10.2 Philosophy, Including Metaphysics, is for Everyone 60.3 An Overview of Metaphysics and Other Areas of Philosophy 60.4 Remarks for Instructors 120.5 Acknowledgments 131 Classification 141.1 Introduction 141.2 Two Kinds of Classification 151.3 Classification Confusions 181.4 Do Things Objectively Belong Together? 221.5 Two Questions about Classification 281.6 Classification and Properties 301.7 Doing Metaphysics 32Further Reading 332 Properties 342.1 Introduction to the Metaphysics of Properties 342.2 Are Properties Theoretical Posits? 372.3 Issues in Language: Reference to Properties in Ordinary Speech 402.4 More Issues in Language: Properties as the Referents of Predicates 442.5 Issues in Metaphysics: Causation 462.6 Issues in Metaphysics: The Ontology of Events 472.7 Issues in Metaphysics: The Ontology of Material Objects 512.8 Tropes, Universals, and States of Affairs 542.9 Intrinsic and Extrinsic Properties 572.10 Perceptual Qualities 652.11 Doing Metaphysics 70Further Reading 713 Parts and Wholes 723.1 Introduction 723.2 The Sufficiently Stuck Together Theory 743.3 The Mind‐Dependence Theory of Composition 783.4 Life is the Answer? 853.5 Vagueness 873.6 Vagueness and Composition 923.7 A Radical Answer to the Special Composition Question: Compositional Nihilism 973.8 Another Radical Answer: Compositional Universalism 1033.9 Other Questions about Parts and Wholes 1063.10 Doing Metaphysics 111Further Reading 1124 Possibility and Necessity 1134.1 Introduction 1134.2 Different Kinds of Possibility and Necessity 1154.3 The Idea of Possible Worlds 1184.4 A Case for Possible Worlds 1204.5 Some Theories of the Nature of Possible Worlds 1264.6 An Alternative Theory of Possible Worlds: Propositions First 1354.7 Another Alternative Theory of Possible Worlds: Primitive Possible Objects 1394.8 Accidental and Essential Features 1424.9 Theories of Possible Worlds and Theories of Essential Features 1474.10 Doing Metaphysics 151Further Reading 1525 Time 1535.1 Introduction to the Philosophy of Time 1535.2 Methodological Issues in the Philosophy of Time 1565.3 The Container View vs. the Relationalist View 1615.4 Does Time Itself Change? 1695.5 Time and Reasonable Emotions 1755.6 How Do Things Persist through Time? 1795.7 Doing Metaphysics 189Further Reading 1896 Freedom 1906.1 Freedom and Why it Might Matter 1906.2 The Static View and Freedom 1926.3 Causal Determinism and Freedom 1946.4 Compatibilism: Alternative Possibilities Compatibilism 1976.5 Compatibilism 2: No Constraints Compatibilism 2006.6 Indeterminism 2036.7 Laws of Nature 2056.8 Doing Metaphysics 212Further Reading 2127 Meta‐Metaphysics 2147.1 Getting More Meta 2147.2 The Epistemology of Metaphysics 2157.3 The Philosophy of Language of Metaphysics 2277.4 The Metaphysics of Metaphysics 2357.5 The Ethics of Metaphysics 2437.6 Doing Metaphysics 254Further Reading 254Glossary 256Index 264