The Fullness of Being: A New Paradigm for ExistenceAccording to a fairly standard view, there are several reasons for denying that existence is a real property of individuals. One is that 'exists' cannot be predicated of individuals, and another is that first-level properties are parasitic on individuals for their actuality, which is something that existence could never be. A third is that existence adds nothing to individuals. Moreover, even if existence were to survive all three counter-indications, it would be merely the most vacuous of properties. The Fullness of Being, however, argues that this view of existence is seriously awry. In this brilliant book, Barry Miller argues that existence is not merely a real property of individuals, but by far the richest of their properties. The commonly accepted view of existence is testimony, contends Miller, to what happens when wrong questions are asked, false assumptions are made, and the possibility of a new paradigm for existence is dismissed without consideration. They bear witness to the substantial flaws underlying the familiar claim 'existence is not a predicate' and the Frege-Russell-Quine view not only of 'exists' as exclusively a second-level predicate, but of existence as no more than a Cambridge property of individuals. By way of contrast, The Fullness of Being is an account of what happens when different questions are asked, when false assumptions are eschewed, and when the possibility of a radically different paradigm for existence is actively explored rather than completely ignored. What began for Miller as an exercise in philosophical logic to determine whether 'exists' is predicable of individuals, ends in an argument with groundbreaking consequences for ontology. "The Fullness of Being is a brilliant and original account of existence. It will be required reading for those philosophers interested in the topic." --Peter Forrest, professor of philosophy, University of New England, Australia |
Contents
Exists as Predicable of Concrete Individuals | 22 |
ExistenceA Real Property but of What Kind? | 63 |
A Paradigm Shift in Thinking about Existence | 82 |
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A. N. Prior absurdity Aquinas argued Aristotle attributed Avicenna Blue buttercups bound of existence Cambridge property chapter claim complete entities concept concrete individuals distinction divine simplicity Dummett erty exis existential propositions expression first-level predicate first-level property Frege Fregean G. E. L. Owen G. E. M. Anscombe Hailsham no longer hence Henry of Ghent identical indi inhere instance of existence instance of wisdom instantiated Leo Sachse limit case bound limit case instance limit simpliciter logically posterior logically prior Lord Hailsham exists matter merely metaphor nonexistence notion of Subsistent objects Oxford P. T. Geach paradox philosophical predicate instances premiss prop proper names property instances property of individuals question real property refers to Socrates regard relation respect of actuality role Sachse exists second-level predicate sense simply singular Socrates element Socrates exists Socrates is wise stance Subsistent Existence substance tence thing tropes true viduals virtue zero-bound instance