CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2023
| Author | Medaglia, Ludovica |
|---|---|
| Title | A Bundle Theory of Universals with Metaphysical Indeterminacy: How to Free the Bundle Theory of Universals from the Commitment to the Identity of Indiscernibles |
| Summary | The standard objection to the bundle theory of universals (BTU) is that it implies the principle of the identity of indiscernibles (IdIn). Given that IdIn is a controversial principle, the fact that BTU implies IdIn casts doubts on BTU, too. Indeed, given the premises that (i) BTU implies IdIn and that (ii) IdIn is false, one obtains the conclusion that BTU is false. My aim in this thesis is to defend BTU against this objection. To reach this aim, I choose to deny premise (i) above, namely that BTU implies IdIn. To deny (i), it is sufficient to show that there is a version of BTU that does not imply IdIn. I develop such a version and call it BTUMI. BTUMI receives this name because its combines BTU with metaphysical indeterminacy (MI), more precisely with MI explained in terms of Rosen and Smith’s “fuzzy theory”. BTUMI is a theory which, as far as its explanatory possibilities are concerned, has two strong advantages. On the one hand, BTUMI does not imply IdIn and therefore is not exposed to the main objection to BTU. On the other hand, BTUMI is able to explain MI. This is an important advantage because MI is a metaphysical fact and should not be left without an account. There is a further aspect which makes BTUMI a promising theory. MI has never attracted the attention of philosophers in relation to BTU and IdIn, so I aim to throw light on BTU from an entirely new perspective. |
| Supervisor | Griffin, Michael |
| Department | Philosophy MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2023/medaglia_ludovica.pdf |
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