Journal ArticleDOI
Sameness without identity : An aristotelian solution to the problem of material constitution
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The problem of material constitution arises whenever it appears that an object a and an object b share all of the same parts and yet are essentially related to their parts in different ways.Abstract:
In this paper, I present an Aristotelian solution to the problem of material constitution. The problem of material constitution arises whenever it appears that an object a and an object b share all of the same parts and yet are essentially related to their parts in different ways. (A familiar example: A lump of bronze constitutes a statue of Athena. The lump and the statue share all of the same parts, but it appears that the lump can, whereas the statue cannot, survive radical rearrangements of those parts.) I argue that if we are prepared to follow Aristotle in making a distinction between numerical sameness and identity, we can solve the problem of material constitution without recourse to co-location or contingent identity and without repudiating any of the familiar objects of common sense (such as lumps and statues) or denying that these objects have the essential properties we ordinarily think that they have.read more
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
The Non‐Identity of a Material Thing and Its Matter
TL;DR: The authors argue that this apparent difference in properties is the product of a linguistic illusion; there is just one thing out there, but different sorts or guises under which it may be described.
Journal ArticleDOI
Material Constitution and the Trinity
Jeffrey E. Brower,Michael C. Rea +1 more
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that a relatively neglected solution to the problem of material constitution can be developed into a novel solution for the Trinity problem, and they propose a new solution based on the assumption that there is exactly one divine being.
Journal ArticleDOI
A Metaphysics of Ordinary Things and Why We Need It
TL;DR: The authors argue that ordinary things (like screwdrivers and walnuts) are as ontologically significant as particles and further argue for why we need recourse to such ordinary things in our basic ontology.
Journal ArticleDOI
Aristotelian Endurantism: A New Solution to the Problem of Temporary Intrinsics
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that there is a further type of solution available to endurantists, one that not only avoids the usual costs, but is structurally identical to the temporal-parts solution preferred by perdurantist.
References
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Book
Events and their Names
TL;DR: The authors argue that most of the supposedly metaphysical literature on events is really about the semantics of their names, and that the true metaphysic of events has not been universally accepted because it has been obscured by a false semantic theory.
Book
Substance and Predication in Aristotle
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors take up the central themes of Aristotle's metaphysics and the various transformations they undergo prior to their full expression in the Metaphysics, and present a formal theory complete with axioms, definitions, and theorems.