Professor Tim Button University College London

Event details

Artefacts of Representational Choices

Kant asked: how is metaphysics so much as possible? Quine answered: because metaphysics is
broadly continuous with science. But Quine's answer gives us no reason to think that "joint-
carving" metaphysics is possible. Joint-carvers want our theoretical primitives to keep track of
what is metaphysically primitive (or fundamental, as opposed to derivative). But we have no
reason to think that such a thing is possible. To explain why, I'll offer some general
considerations, a particular case study (about space), and a logical argument. The upshot of all of
these is that we always end up with (arbitrary) artefacts of representational choices.

This is a Philosophy Colloquium Event.