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Material Constitution is Ad Hoc

Smid, Jeroen LU (2017) In Erkenntnis 82(2). p.305-325
Abstract
The idea that two objects can coincide—by sharing all their proper parts, or matter—yet be non-identical, results in the “Problem of Coincident Objects”: in what relation do objects stand if they are not identical but share all their proper parts? One solution is to introduce material constitution. In this paper, I argue that this is ad hoc since, first, this solution cannot be generalized to solve similar (real) problems, and, second, there are pseudo cases of coincidence that should not trigger the introduction of material constitution and these cannot be distinguished in any principled way from the allegedly real cases of coincidence.
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author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Erkenntnis
volume
82
issue
2
pages
21 pages
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • scopus:85016799492
  • wos:000399016100004
ISSN
1572-8420
DOI
10.1007/s10670-016-9818-6
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
0822ddd4-4f29-42b0-a881-4e67b0d4de9b
date added to LUP
2016-06-07 17:54:54
date last changed
2022-04-24 07:55:43
@article{0822ddd4-4f29-42b0-a881-4e67b0d4de9b,
  abstract     = {{The idea that two objects can coincide—by sharing all their proper parts, or matter—yet be non-identical, results in the “Problem of Coincident Objects”: in what relation do objects stand if they are not identical but share all their proper parts? One solution is to introduce material constitution. In this paper, I argue that this is ad hoc since, first, this solution cannot be generalized to solve similar (real) problems, and, second, there are pseudo cases of coincidence that should not trigger the introduction of material constitution and these cannot be distinguished in any principled way from the allegedly real cases of coincidence.}},
  author       = {{Smid, Jeroen}},
  issn         = {{1572-8420}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{305--325}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{Erkenntnis}},
  title        = {{Material Constitution is Ad Hoc}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10670-016-9818-6}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s10670-016-9818-6}},
  volume       = {{82}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}