Philosophy Department

Existence, Vagueness, and Composition (PHLU 4100)

Bryan Frances
 

Contemporary metaphysicians must be insane. For instance, Peter van Inwagen thinks that there are no chairs. A good friend of mine, Ted Sider, thinks that strictly speaking it’s not true that there are people, chairs, electrons, or anything else. Another guy I know thinks that if you are currently sitting in a chair, then really there are untold zillions of other people now sitting in that very chair with you. These other people follow you around wherever you go. Another contemporary metaphysician says that no object lasts more than an instant; so you have existed for just a moment (so I guess you’re way too young to take this course). Other philosophers have comparably crazy beliefs. For instance, suppose that my tabletop is empty except for a marble and a peanut. How many things are on my desk? You might say: two. Or, you might say: zillions, because there are zillions of electrons, protons, and neutrons there. Both answers are very reasonable. But some metaphysicians say that in addition to the marble and the peanut there is a third object, the marble-peanut, that has the marble and the peanut as its parts. And I suppose that there is a fourth object, composed of the marble and the marble-peanut. And so on. The odd beliefs are not due to neurological disorders. In fact, these philosophers are incredibly smart and, amazingly enough, sober. Neither do they have some fetish for outlandish beliefs; on the contrary, they’re doing their level best to uphold common sense! Instead, the odd beliefs are due to the extreme difficulty in saying anything intelligent and interesting about certain fundamental puzzles having to do with the nature of existence, vagueness, and physical composition (the relation between a physical thing and the stuff that composes it). I propose that we investigate these puzzles in order to see what all the fuss is. I guarantee that when the course is over you will be saying things as insane as the things those philosophers have said.

Ascending Descending -- Escher