Boekhandel Douwes Den Haag

Absence and Nothing

The Philosophy of What There is Not

Mumford, Stephen (Professor of Metaphysics, Professor of Metaphysics, Department of Philosophy, Durham University)

Absence and Nothing

Absence and Nothing

The Philosophy of What There is Not

Absence and Nothing

 

This book argues that nothing is not and explains how we can meaningfully speak about what is not.


Leverbaar

€ 89,60

Levertijd: 5 tot 10 werkdagen


Beschrijving Absence and Nothing

Nothing is not. Yet it seems that we invoke absences and nothings often in our philosophical explanations. Negative metaphysics is on the rise. It has been claimed that absences can be causes, there are negative properties, absences can be perceived, there are negative facts, and that we can refer to and speak about nothing. Parmenides long ago ruled against such things. Here we consider how much of Parmenides' view can survive. A soft Parmenidean methodology is adopted in which we aim to reject all supposed negative entities but are prepared to accept them, reluctantly, if they are indispensable and irreducible in our best theories. We then see whether there are any negative entities this survive this test. Some can be dismissed on metaphysical grounds but other problems are explained only once we reject another strand in Parmenides and show how we can think and talk about nothing. Accounts of perception of absence, empty reference, and denial are gathered. With these, we can show how no truthmakers are required for negative truths since we can have negative beliefs, concerning what-is-not, without what-is-not being part of what is. This supports a soft ontological Parmenideanism, which accepts much though not all of Parmenides' original position.


ISBN
9780198831532
Pagina's
236
Verschenen
NUR
730
Druk
1
Uitvoering
Hardback
Taal
Engels
Uitgever
OUP Oxford

Filosofie