Mereology: A Philosophical Introduction

Mereology: A Philosophical Introduction

Author: Giorgio Lando

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2017-06-29

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 147258368X

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Parthood and composition are everywhere. The leg of a table is part of the table, the word "Christmas" is part of the sentence "I wish you a merry Christmas", the 13th century is part of the Middle Ages. The Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg compose Benelux, the body of a deer is composed of a huge number of cells, the Middle Ages are composed of the Early Middle Ages, High Middle Ages, and Late Middle Ages. Is there really a general theory covering every instance of parthood and composition? Is classical mereology this general theory? Are its seemingly counter-intuitive features serious defects? Mereology: A Philosophical Introduction addresses the multifaceted and lively philosophical debates surrounding these questions, and defends the idea that classical mereology is indeed the general and exhaustive theory of parthood and composition in the domain of concrete entities. Several examples of parthood and composition, involving entities of different kinds, are scrutinised in depth. Incidentally, mereology is shown to interact in a surprising way with metaontology. Presenting a well-organized and comprehensive discussion of parthood and related notions, Mereology: A Philosophical Introduction contributes to a better understanding of a subject central to contemporary metaphysics.


Book Synopsis Mereology: A Philosophical Introduction by : Giorgio Lando

Download or read book Mereology: A Philosophical Introduction written by Giorgio Lando and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2017-06-29 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Parthood and composition are everywhere. The leg of a table is part of the table, the word "Christmas" is part of the sentence "I wish you a merry Christmas", the 13th century is part of the Middle Ages. The Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg compose Benelux, the body of a deer is composed of a huge number of cells, the Middle Ages are composed of the Early Middle Ages, High Middle Ages, and Late Middle Ages. Is there really a general theory covering every instance of parthood and composition? Is classical mereology this general theory? Are its seemingly counter-intuitive features serious defects? Mereology: A Philosophical Introduction addresses the multifaceted and lively philosophical debates surrounding these questions, and defends the idea that classical mereology is indeed the general and exhaustive theory of parthood and composition in the domain of concrete entities. Several examples of parthood and composition, involving entities of different kinds, are scrutinised in depth. Incidentally, mereology is shown to interact in a surprising way with metaontology. Presenting a well-organized and comprehensive discussion of parthood and related notions, Mereology: A Philosophical Introduction contributes to a better understanding of a subject central to contemporary metaphysics.

The Mereology of Classes

The Mereology of Classes

Author: Gabriel Uzquiano

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2024-06-06

Total Pages: 94

ISBN-13: 1009090305

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This Element is a systematic study of the question of whether classes are composed of further parts. Mereology is the theory of the relation of part to whole, and we will ask how that relation applies to classes. One reason the issue has received attention in the literature is the hope that a clear picture of the mereology of classes may provide further insights into the foundations of set theory. We will consider two main perspectives on the mereology of classes on which classes are indeed composed of further parts. They, however, disagree as to the identity of those parts. Each perspective admits more than one implementation, and one of the purposes of this work is to explain what is at stake with each choice.


Book Synopsis The Mereology of Classes by : Gabriel Uzquiano

Download or read book The Mereology of Classes written by Gabriel Uzquiano and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2024-06-06 with total page 94 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This Element is a systematic study of the question of whether classes are composed of further parts. Mereology is the theory of the relation of part to whole, and we will ask how that relation applies to classes. One reason the issue has received attention in the literature is the hope that a clear picture of the mereology of classes may provide further insights into the foundations of set theory. We will consider two main perspectives on the mereology of classes on which classes are indeed composed of further parts. They, however, disagree as to the identity of those parts. Each perspective admits more than one implementation, and one of the purposes of this work is to explain what is at stake with each choice.

Mereology

Mereology

Author: A. J. Cotnoir

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2021-07-08

Total Pages: 422

ISBN-13: 0198749007

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Is a whole something more than the sum of its parts? Are there things composed of the same parts? If you divide an object into parts, and divide those parts into smaller parts, will this process ever come to an end? Can something lose parts or gain new ones without ceasing to be the thing it is? Does any multitude of things (including disparate things such as you, this book, and the tail of a cat) compose a whole of some sort? Questions such as these have occupied us for at least as long as philosophy has existed. They define the field that has come to be known as mereology-the study of all relations of part to whole and of part to part within a whole-and have deep and far-reaching ramifications in metaphysics as well as in logic, the foundations of mathematics, the philosophy of language, the philosophy of science, and beyond. In Mereology, A. J. Cotnoir and Achille C. Varzi have compiled decades of advanced research into a comprehensive, up-to-date, and formally rigorous picture. The early chapters cover the more classical aspects of mereology; the rest of the book deals with variants and extensions. Whether you are an established professional philosopher, an interested student, or a newcomer, inside you will find all the tools you need to join this ever-evolving field of inquiry and theorize about all things mereological.


Book Synopsis Mereology by : A. J. Cotnoir

Download or read book Mereology written by A. J. Cotnoir and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2021-07-08 with total page 422 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Is a whole something more than the sum of its parts? Are there things composed of the same parts? If you divide an object into parts, and divide those parts into smaller parts, will this process ever come to an end? Can something lose parts or gain new ones without ceasing to be the thing it is? Does any multitude of things (including disparate things such as you, this book, and the tail of a cat) compose a whole of some sort? Questions such as these have occupied us for at least as long as philosophy has existed. They define the field that has come to be known as mereology-the study of all relations of part to whole and of part to part within a whole-and have deep and far-reaching ramifications in metaphysics as well as in logic, the foundations of mathematics, the philosophy of language, the philosophy of science, and beyond. In Mereology, A. J. Cotnoir and Achille C. Varzi have compiled decades of advanced research into a comprehensive, up-to-date, and formally rigorous picture. The early chapters cover the more classical aspects of mereology; the rest of the book deals with variants and extensions. Whether you are an established professional philosopher, an interested student, or a newcomer, inside you will find all the tools you need to join this ever-evolving field of inquiry and theorize about all things mereological.

Parts of Classes

Parts of Classes

Author: David K. Lewis

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Published: 1991-01

Total Pages: 155

ISBN-13: 9780631176565

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Book Synopsis Parts of Classes by : David K. Lewis

Download or read book Parts of Classes written by David K. Lewis and published by Wiley-Blackwell. This book was released on 1991-01 with total page 155 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Logical Semiotics and Mereology

Logical Semiotics and Mereology

Author: Richard M. Martin

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing

Published: 1992

Total Pages: 297

ISBN-13: 9027232881

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The papers in this volume are concerned with a variety of vitally important topics in philosophical logic, the philosophy of language, the philosophy of mathematics, the philosophy of science, and in the application of modern logic to wider philosophical problems. All of them make fundamental use, in one way or another, of logical semiotics, the modern trivium of systematic syntax, semantics, and pragmatics, and some of them, of mereology, the general theory of parts and whole. The book includes 20 articles, dealing with such subjects as 'Logical semiotics and logistic grammar', 'The semiotics of mathematical practice', 'Husserlian parts and wholes', 'Compound individuals and the languages of science', and discusses work of Geach, Lesniewski, Carnap, Peirce, and Quine.


Book Synopsis Logical Semiotics and Mereology by : Richard M. Martin

Download or read book Logical Semiotics and Mereology written by Richard M. Martin and published by John Benjamins Publishing. This book was released on 1992 with total page 297 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The papers in this volume are concerned with a variety of vitally important topics in philosophical logic, the philosophy of language, the philosophy of mathematics, the philosophy of science, and in the application of modern logic to wider philosophical problems. All of them make fundamental use, in one way or another, of logical semiotics, the modern trivium of systematic syntax, semantics, and pragmatics, and some of them, of mereology, the general theory of parts and whole. The book includes 20 articles, dealing with such subjects as 'Logical semiotics and logistic grammar', 'The semiotics of mathematical practice', 'Husserlian parts and wholes', 'Compound individuals and the languages of science', and discusses work of Geach, Lesniewski, Carnap, Peirce, and Quine.

Composition as Identity

Composition as Identity

Author: A. J. Cotnoir

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 271

ISBN-13: 0199669619

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This collection of essays is the first of its kind to focus on the relationship between composition and identity. Twelve original articles--written by internationally renowned scholars and rising stars in the field--argue for and against the controversial doctrine that composition is identity.--Provided by publisher.


Book Synopsis Composition as Identity by : A. J. Cotnoir

Download or read book Composition as Identity written by A. J. Cotnoir and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2014 with total page 271 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This collection of essays is the first of its kind to focus on the relationship between composition and identity. Twelve original articles--written by internationally renowned scholars and rising stars in the field--argue for and against the controversial doctrine that composition is identity.--Provided by publisher.

Mereology and Location

Mereology and Location

Author: Shieva Kleinschmidt

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 290

ISBN-13: 0199593825

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A team of leading philosophers presents original work on theories of parthood and of location. Topics covered include how we ought to axiomatise our mereology, whether we can reduce mereological relations to identity or to locative relations, whether Mereological Essentialism is true, different ways in which entities persist through space, time, spacetime, and even hypertime, conflicting intuitions we have about space, and what mereology and propositions can tell us about one another. The breadth and accessibility of the papers make this volume an excellent introduction for those not yet working on these topics. Further, the papers contain important contributions to these central areas of metaphysics, and thus are essential reading for anyone working in the field.


Book Synopsis Mereology and Location by : Shieva Kleinschmidt

Download or read book Mereology and Location written by Shieva Kleinschmidt and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2014 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A team of leading philosophers presents original work on theories of parthood and of location. Topics covered include how we ought to axiomatise our mereology, whether we can reduce mereological relations to identity or to locative relations, whether Mereological Essentialism is true, different ways in which entities persist through space, time, spacetime, and even hypertime, conflicting intuitions we have about space, and what mereology and propositions can tell us about one another. The breadth and accessibility of the papers make this volume an excellent introduction for those not yet working on these topics. Further, the papers contain important contributions to these central areas of metaphysics, and thus are essential reading for anyone working in the field.

Mereology and the Sciences

Mereology and the Sciences

Author: Claudio Calosi

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2014-06-02

Total Pages: 389

ISBN-13: 3319053566

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This volume is the first systematic and thorough attempt to investigate the relation and the possible applications of mereology to contemporary science. It gathers contributions from leading scholars in the field and covers a wide range of scientific theories and practices such as physics, mathematics, chemistry, biology, computer science and engineering. Throughout the volume, a variety of foundational issues are investigated both from the formal and the empirical point of view. The first section looks at the topic as it applies to physics. The section addresses questions of persistence and composition within quantum and relativistic physics and concludes by scrutinizing the possibility to capture continuity of motion as described by our best physical theories within gunky space times. The second part tackles mathematics and shows how to provide a foundation for point-free geometry of space switching to fuzzy-logic. The relation between mereological sums and set-theoretic suprema is investigated and issues about different mereological perspectives such as classical and natural Mereology are thoroughly discussed. The third section in the volume looks at natural science. Several questions from biology, medicine and chemistry are investigated. From the perspective of biology, there is an attempt to provide axioms for inferring statements about part hood between two biological entities from statements about their spatial relation. From the perspective of chemistry, it is argued that classical mereological frameworks are not adequate to capture the practices of chemistry in that they consider neither temporal nor modal parameters. The final part introduces computer science and engineering. A new formal mereological framework in which an indeterminate relation of part hood is taken as a primitive notion is constructed and then applied to a wide variety of disciplines from robotics to knowledge engineering. A formal framework for discrete mereotopology and its applications is developed and finally, the importance of mereology for the relatively new science of domain engineering is also discussed.


Book Synopsis Mereology and the Sciences by : Claudio Calosi

Download or read book Mereology and the Sciences written by Claudio Calosi and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-06-02 with total page 389 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume is the first systematic and thorough attempt to investigate the relation and the possible applications of mereology to contemporary science. It gathers contributions from leading scholars in the field and covers a wide range of scientific theories and practices such as physics, mathematics, chemistry, biology, computer science and engineering. Throughout the volume, a variety of foundational issues are investigated both from the formal and the empirical point of view. The first section looks at the topic as it applies to physics. The section addresses questions of persistence and composition within quantum and relativistic physics and concludes by scrutinizing the possibility to capture continuity of motion as described by our best physical theories within gunky space times. The second part tackles mathematics and shows how to provide a foundation for point-free geometry of space switching to fuzzy-logic. The relation between mereological sums and set-theoretic suprema is investigated and issues about different mereological perspectives such as classical and natural Mereology are thoroughly discussed. The third section in the volume looks at natural science. Several questions from biology, medicine and chemistry are investigated. From the perspective of biology, there is an attempt to provide axioms for inferring statements about part hood between two biological entities from statements about their spatial relation. From the perspective of chemistry, it is argued that classical mereological frameworks are not adequate to capture the practices of chemistry in that they consider neither temporal nor modal parameters. The final part introduces computer science and engineering. A new formal mereological framework in which an indeterminate relation of part hood is taken as a primitive notion is constructed and then applied to a wide variety of disciplines from robotics to knowledge engineering. A formal framework for discrete mereotopology and its applications is developed and finally, the importance of mereology for the relatively new science of domain engineering is also discussed.

The Mereological City

The Mereological City

Author: Daniel Köhler

Publisher: transcript Verlag

Published: 2016-03-31

Total Pages: 259

ISBN-13: 3839434661

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In a positive departure from modernism, the work of the art critic and urbanist Ludwig Hilberseimer offers schemata towards the design for the city itself: its mereological composition. The resonance of parts unfolds to an alternative of a purely contrasting equation of form and content. It reminds us, that when the ground (gr.: logos) of the city is defined by its parts (gr.: meros), its architecture, the city in turn always also is part of the architecture as its desire. »The Mereological City« introduces a mereological methodology and contributes to an ongoing discussion about an ecological form of urban design.


Book Synopsis The Mereological City by : Daniel Köhler

Download or read book The Mereological City written by Daniel Köhler and published by transcript Verlag. This book was released on 2016-03-31 with total page 259 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a positive departure from modernism, the work of the art critic and urbanist Ludwig Hilberseimer offers schemata towards the design for the city itself: its mereological composition. The resonance of parts unfolds to an alternative of a purely contrasting equation of form and content. It reminds us, that when the ground (gr.: logos) of the city is defined by its parts (gr.: meros), its architecture, the city in turn always also is part of the architecture as its desire. »The Mereological City« introduces a mereological methodology and contributes to an ongoing discussion about an ecological form of urban design.

The Structure of Objects

The Structure of Objects

Author: Kathrin Koslicki

Publisher: OUP Oxford

Published: 2008-04-17

Total Pages: 309

ISBN-13: 0191609137

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Kathrin Koslicki offers an analysis of ordinary materials objects, those material objects to which we take ourselves to be committed in ordinary, scientifically informed discourse. She focuses particularly on the question of how the parts of such objects are related to the wholes which they compose. Many philosophers today find themselves in the grip of an exceedingly deflationary conception of what it means to be an object. According to this conception, any plurality of objects, no matter how disparate or gerrymandered, itself composes an object, even if the objects in question fail to exhibit interesting similarities, internal unity, cohesion, or causl interaction amongst each other. This commitment to initially counterintuitive objects follows from the belief that no principled set of criteria is available by means of which to distinguish intuitively gerrymandered objects from commonsensical ones; the project of this book is to persuade the reader that systematic principles can be found by means of which composition can be restricted, and hence that we need not embrace this deflationary approach to the question of what it means to be an object. To this end, a more full-blooded neo-Aristotelian account of parthood and composition is developed according to which objects are structured wholes: it is integral to the existence and identity of an object, on this conception, that its parts exhibit a certain manner of arrangement. This structure-based conception of parthood and composition is explored in detail, along with some of its historical precursors as well as some of its contemporary competitors.


Book Synopsis The Structure of Objects by : Kathrin Koslicki

Download or read book The Structure of Objects written by Kathrin Koslicki and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2008-04-17 with total page 309 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Kathrin Koslicki offers an analysis of ordinary materials objects, those material objects to which we take ourselves to be committed in ordinary, scientifically informed discourse. She focuses particularly on the question of how the parts of such objects are related to the wholes which they compose. Many philosophers today find themselves in the grip of an exceedingly deflationary conception of what it means to be an object. According to this conception, any plurality of objects, no matter how disparate or gerrymandered, itself composes an object, even if the objects in question fail to exhibit interesting similarities, internal unity, cohesion, or causl interaction amongst each other. This commitment to initially counterintuitive objects follows from the belief that no principled set of criteria is available by means of which to distinguish intuitively gerrymandered objects from commonsensical ones; the project of this book is to persuade the reader that systematic principles can be found by means of which composition can be restricted, and hence that we need not embrace this deflationary approach to the question of what it means to be an object. To this end, a more full-blooded neo-Aristotelian account of parthood and composition is developed according to which objects are structured wholes: it is integral to the existence and identity of an object, on this conception, that its parts exhibit a certain manner of arrangement. This structure-based conception of parthood and composition is explored in detail, along with some of its historical precursors as well as some of its contemporary competitors.