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Composition as identity: A study in ontology and philosophical logic
Abstract
In this work I first develop, motivate, and defend the view that mereological composition, the relation between an object and all its parts collectively, is a relation of identity. I argue that this view implies and hence can explain the logical necessity of classical mereology, the formal study of the part-whole relation. I then critically discuss four contemporary views of the same kind. Finally, I employ my thesis in a recent discussion of whether the world is fundamentally one in number.
Subject Area
Philosophy
Recommended Citation
Bohn, Einar Duenger, "Composition as identity: A study in ontology and philosophical logic" (2009). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI3379942.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI3379942