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Extensionality for Fusions and Pluralities

Smid, Jeroen LU (2021) In Synthese 198(18). p.4355-4374
Abstract
One of the more persistent debates in mereology is whether distinct wholes can have the same parts. Extensional mereologists hold that if there is no part that makes the difference, then there is nothing to distinguish the wholes, so sameness of parts implies identity. Non-extensionalists, however, do think there are cases where distinct wholes share all their parts. This paper argues that the kind of argument non-extensionalists employ can also be levelled against a widely accepted extensionality principle of plural logic. Non-extensionalists thus face a dilemma: either give up the argument for non-extensional mereology, or deny both the extensionality principle of mereology and the analogous principle for plural logic.
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author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Synthese
volume
198
issue
18
pages
20 pages
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • scopus:85056262515
ISSN
1573-0964
DOI
10.1007/s11229-018-02003-w
project
Principer för val av teori och diskussionen om objekt som sammanfaller
Metaphysics and Collectivity
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
c9d84f3f-734b-457c-8ab9-82bb8daa7c1b
date added to LUP
2018-11-12 17:52:35
date last changed
2022-05-03 07:31:49
@article{c9d84f3f-734b-457c-8ab9-82bb8daa7c1b,
  abstract     = {{One of the more persistent debates in mereology is whether distinct wholes can have the same parts. Extensional mereologists hold that if there is no part that makes the difference, then there is nothing to distinguish the wholes, so sameness of parts implies identity. Non-extensionalists, however, do think there are cases where distinct wholes share all their parts. This paper argues that the kind of argument non-extensionalists employ can also be levelled against a widely accepted extensionality principle of plural logic. Non-extensionalists thus face a dilemma: either give up the argument for non-extensional mereology, or deny both the extensionality principle of mereology and the analogous principle for plural logic.}},
  author       = {{Smid, Jeroen}},
  issn         = {{1573-0964}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{08}},
  number       = {{18}},
  pages        = {{4355--4374}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{Synthese}},
  title        = {{Extensionality for Fusions and Pluralities}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11229-018-02003-w}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s11229-018-02003-w}},
  volume       = {{198}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}