Varieties of Things

Cynthia Macdonald is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand. She is Associate Editor of the Australasian Journal of Philosophy and the author or editor of numerous publications, including The Philosophy of Psychology: Debates on Psychological Explanation (co-edited with Graham Macdonald, Blackwell, 1994), Connectionism: Debates on Psychological Explanation (co-edited with Graham Macdonald, Blackwell, 1995) and Contemporary Readings in the Foundations of Metaphysics (co-edited with Stephen Laurence, Blackwell, 1998).

"[This] book is well written in a no-nonsense style. First Rate." (The Philosophical Quarterly)"An exceptionally good introduction and tour through central topics in contemporary metaphysics. The book could easily be used alone for an upper level course in metaphysics or as a commentary alongside original articles. It is written clearly, with illuminating examples and engaging discussion." (Review of Metaphysics)"Macdonald's Varieties of Things: Foundations of Contemporary Metaphysics is an excellent study in ontology. It provides a descriptive metaphysical account of the ontology of material substances, persons, events, and universals. While the book provides a sophisticated account of the issues, it is written in a way that makes it accessible to an advanced undergraduate student audience. And given its novel defenses of some positions, it will also be of considerable interest to professional philosophers working on the issues" —Brian McLaughlin, Rutgers University"Amongst the book’s most notable virtues are its clarity and the author’s careful attention to detail in setting out arguments and counter-arguments for various positions. The opening chapters on the nature of metaphysics are excellent. The later chapters on material substances, persons, events, and universals are thorough, closely argued and well informed."—Jonathan Lowe, University of Durham

• Preface viiPart I: Metaphysics and Its Tools1 The Nature and Function of Metaphysics 3The Methodology and Subject Matter of Metaphysics 4Aristotle’s Conception of Metaphysics 8Kant’s Conception of Metaphysics 11A Working Conception of Metaphysics 142 Some Tools of Metaphysics 36Criteria of Ontological Commitment: Two Examples 36‘No Entity without Identity’: Identity Conditions for Objects 56Individuation Conditions, Identity Conditions, and Metaphysical Kinds 59Principles and Criteria of Identity 63Part II: Particulars3 Material Substances 79Our Ontological Commitment to Material Substances 79The Bundle Theory and the Principle of the Identity of Indiscernibles 81Problems with the Bundle Theory 84The Bare Substratum Theory and the Principle of Acquaintance 110Objections to the Bare Substratum Theory 113An Alternative 1144 Persons and Personal Identity 135Our Ontological Commitment to Persons 135Candidates for Persistence Conditions for Persons 138The Closest Continuer Theory and Its Problems 150Does the Concept of Identity Apply to Persons? 155The Multiple Occupancy Thesis 162Back to Basics: Continuity and Fission 164A Suggestion 1695 Events 181Our Ontological Commitment to Events 183Three Criteria: Spatio-temporal Coincidence, Necessary Spatio-temporal Coincidence, and Sameness of Cause and Effect 186The Property Exemplification Account of Events (PEE) 193Part III: Universals6 Universals and the Realism/Nominalism Dispute 219The Issue 223Varieties of Nominalism 225Two Conceptions of Universals 236The Regress Charge and Two Unsuccessful Attempts to Meet It 239An Alternative 245Bibliography 260Index 272