Semantics and the Plural Conception of Reality

Philosophers' Imprint 14:1-20 (2014)
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Abstract

According to the singular conception of reality, there are objects and there are singular properties, i.e. properties that are instantiated by objects separately. It has been argued that semantic considerations about plurals give us reasons to embrace a plural conception of reality. This is the view that, in addition to singular properties, there are plural properties, i.e. properties that are instantiated jointly by many objects. In this article, I propose and defend a novel semantic account of plurals which dispenses with plural properties and thus undermines the semantic argument in favor of the plural conception of reality.

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Author's Profile

Salvatore Florio
University of Oslo

Citations of this work

Plural quantification.Ø Linnebo - 2008 - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Composition and Identities.Manuel Lechthaler - 2017 - Dissertation, University of Otago
Reference by proxy.Michael Rieppel - 2022 - Synthese 200 (3):1-18.

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References found in this work

Introduction to mathematical philosophy.Bertrand Russell - 1919 - New York: Dover Publications.
Ontological relativity.W. V. O. Quine - 1968 - Journal of Philosophy 65 (7):185-212.
Humean Supervenience Debugged.David Lewis - 1994 - Mind 103 (412):473--490.
Parts of Classes.David K. Lewis - 1991 - Mind 100 (3):394-397.

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