Das Buch behandelt in seinen 3 Kapiteln die wichtigsten Grundströmungen innerhalb der analytischen Philosophie, die grundlegenden ontologischen Fragen und die zentralen Themen einer kategorischen Ontologie. Literaturverzeichnis, Namenregister und Sachregister. - Als Einführung zum Thema für philosophische Anfangssemester.

Preface The problem of persistence is as old as the tradition of systematic ontology: How can we explain that the middle-sized standard objects of ...

This paper seeks to show how a proper version of dispositionalism, taking powers as basic elements of reality, may figure as a causal theory of perception. On the basis of this argument, the paper draws some further conclusions, which may indicate the explanatory competence of such a disposition-affine theory of causality, for example in terms of the distinction between primary and secondary qualities, as well as an ontological account of mere potentialities of active capacities to perceive and of “privations,” respectively.

Das Anliegen dieses Artikels besteht darin, ausgehend von einer an drei zentralen Themen orienterten Analyse des Verhältnisses von Kants Schriften 1762/63 zu Crusius auf bedeutsame Aspekte des frühen Kantischen Philosophierens hinzuweisen und daraus Plausibilitätsannahmen für eine systematische und ideengeschichtliche Standortbestimmung desselben zu erarbeiten.

What can systematic philosophy contribute to come from conflict between cultures to a substantial dialogue? - This question was the general theme of the 29th international symposium of the Austrian Ludwig Wittgenstein Society in Kirchberg. Worldwide leading philosophers accepted the invitation to come to the conference, whose results are published in this volume, edited by Christian Kanzian Edmund Runggaldier. The sections are dedicated to the philosophy of Wittgenstein, Logics and Philosophy of Language, Decision- and Action Theory, Ethical Aspects of the (...) Intercultural Dialogue, Intercultural Dialogue, and last not least to Social Ontology. Our edition include contributions authored by Peter Hacker, Jennifer Hornsby, John Hyman, Michael Kober, Richard Rorty, Hans Rott, Gerhard Schurz, Barry Smith, Pirmin Stekeler-Weithofer, Franz Wimmer, and Kwasi Wiredu. (shrink)

Although Ibn Sina’s metaphysics is heavily indebted to Aristotle’s, with regard to the substantiality of the rational soul and God, Aristotle and Ibn Sina take opposite positions: Aristotle holds that theos is a substance, while Ibn Sina denies that God is a substance; Aristotle holds that the soul is not a substance, while Ibn Sina claims that it is. In both of these regards we observe the movement toward greater abstraction in Ibn Sina. The concept of God is more abstract (...) when considered outside the categories, and the soul is understood more abstractly, not merely as the form of an organism, but as independent of any materiality. God is freed from the constraints of substantiality while the soul is freed from the constraints of corporeality. Ibn Sina argues that since God transcends the categories, God is not a substance. Another argument is that everything that falls under the categories is contingent in its existence, God, however, is necessary in His existence. Hence, God is not a substance. Ibn Sina’s main argument, however, is that a condition for being a substance is, according to Arsitotle, not to be in a subject. This condition should be understood in such a manner that it does not imply the existence of what satisfies it. The existence of a necessary being, however, is implied by such a condition. Hence, God does not have the condition, and, thus, is not a substance. (shrink)

This volume aims to investigate the topic of Substance and Attribute. The way leading to this aim is a dialogue between Islamic and Western Philosophy. Our project is motivated by the observation that the historical roots of Islamic and of Western philosophy are very similar. Thus some of the articles in this volume are dedicated to the history of philosophy in Islamic thinking as well as in Western traditions. But the dialogue between both philosophies is not only an historical issue, (...) it also has systematic relevance for actual philosophical questions. The topic Substance and Attribute particularly has systematic relevance for the actual ontological debate. (shrink)

This book is a collection of essays in systematic ontology. The parts of its title Things and Ways They Are are indicative of two broadly and intensively discussed issues in current ontology, namely, what categories of entities there are and in what ways they are relevant for our discourses. The three sections of the volume correspond to focuses of ontological research: Before Ontology is dedicated to conceptual, methodological, and meta-ontological issues; Ontology at Work raises general topics of categorial ontology, and (...) the final section Ontology in Application discusses questions such as those relating to free will and our conception of the human being. The book is a tribute to Edmund Runggaldier on the occasion of his 65th birthday. Its seventeen papers are authored by such distinguished scholars as Lynne Rudder Baker, Franz von Kutschera, E. J. Lowe, Otto Muck, Paul Weingartner, Timothy Williamson, and many others.". (shrink)

The book presents papers from leading proponents of realist, relativist, and constructivist positions in epistemology and the philosophy of language and ethics.

Resumo O objectivo deste artigo é o de oferecer uma análise ontológica das obras de arte, com a aplicação de uma teoria geral dos artefactos. O contexto teórico é o da descrição da coisa – ou ontologia da substância. Artefactos em geral e obras de arte em particular são consideradas entidades dependentes da mente com identidade convencional. A construção teórica deste artigo baseia-se num diálogo aberto com a teoria da arte e com os artistas, especialmente aqueles que se encontram no (...) campo do “objecto-arte”. Palavras-chave : artefactos, coisas, identidade convencional, obras de arte, ontologia descritiva, substânciasThe aim of this article is an ontological analysis of works of art, in application of a general theory of artefacts. The theoretical context is a descriptive thing – or substance-ontology. Artefacts in general, and works of art particularly, are considered to be mind-dependent entities with conventional identity. The theory-building of the article relies on an open dialogue with theory of art and artists, especially those in the field of object-art. Keywords : artefacts, conventional identity, descriptive ontology, substances, things, works of arts. (shrink)

Besprochen werden einige neue Beiträge zur analytischen Ontologie. Einen thematischen Schwerpunkt machen Arbeiten zur kategorialen Ontologie aus. Sie entsprechen dem traditionellen Anliegen der Ontologie zu untersuchen, was die grundlegenden Bestandteile der Wirklichkeit sind. Sind es Dinge, klassisch "Substanzen im ersten Sinn" , sind es partikuläre Eigenschaften, heute auch "Tropen" genannt , sind es Sachverhalte , oder gibt es mehrere, gleichermaßen grundlegende Kategorien ? Ein weiteres Thema ist der Zusammenhang zwischen genuin ontologischen Fragen und solchen in der sogenannten "Philosophie des Geistes". (...) Welchen ontologischen Rahmen braucht es zur Erfassung des mentalen Lebens des Menschen, seines Bewußtseins ? Behandelt werden weiterhin das Thema Zeit bzw. Zeit und Existenz , schließlich ein umfassender metaphysischer Entwurf , der deutlich machen sollte, daß auch im Kontext der analytischen Philosophie der Anspruch auf begriffliche Erfassung der Wirklichkeit als Ganzer nicht aufgegeben wird. (shrink)