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'Identity' as a mereological term

Smid, Jeroen LU (2017) In Synthese 194(7). p.2367-2385
Abstract
The mereological predicate ‘is part of’ can be used to define the predicate ‘is identical with’. I argue that this entails that mereological theories can be ideologically simpler than nihilistic theories that do not use the notion of parthood—contrary to what has been argued by Ted Sider. Moreover, if one accepts an extensional mereology, there are good philosophical reasons apart from ideological simplicity to give a mereological definition of identity.
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Parthood, Identity, Mereology Nihilism, Ideological simplicity, Theory-choice
in
Synthese
volume
194
issue
7
pages
2367 - 2385
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • scopus:84959531582
  • wos:000408659700008
ISSN
0039-7857
DOI
10.1007/s11229-016-1056-6
project
Metaphysics and Collectivity
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
499125af-d5d2-46c8-8b83-cdbd340d67b2 (old id 8836603)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 11:16:25
date last changed
2022-03-05 02:56:53
@article{499125af-d5d2-46c8-8b83-cdbd340d67b2,
  abstract     = {{The mereological predicate ‘is part of’ can be used to define the predicate ‘is identical with’. I argue that this entails that mereological theories can be ideologically simpler than nihilistic theories that do not use the notion of parthood—contrary to what has been argued by Ted Sider. Moreover, if one accepts an extensional mereology, there are good philosophical reasons apart from ideological simplicity to give a mereological definition of identity.}},
  author       = {{Smid, Jeroen}},
  issn         = {{0039-7857}},
  keywords     = {{Parthood; Identity; Mereology Nihilism; Ideological simplicity; Theory-choice}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{7}},
  pages        = {{2367--2385}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{Synthese}},
  title        = {{'Identity' as a mereological term}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11229-016-1056-6}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s11229-016-1056-6}},
  volume       = {{194}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}