Existence: Essays in Ontology

by Peter van Inwagen

The problem of the nature of being was central to ancient and medieval philosophy, and continues to be relevant today. In this collection of thirteen recent essays, Peter van Inwagen applies the techniques of analytical philosophy to a wide variety of problems in ontology and meta-ontology. Topics discussed include the nature of being, the meaning of the existential quantifier, ontological commitment, recent attacks on metaphysics and ontology, the concept of ontological structure, fictional entities, mereological sums, and the ontology of mental states. Van Inwagen adopts a generally 'Quinean' position in meta-ontology, yet reaches ontological conclusions very different from Quine's. The volume includes two previously unpublished essays, one of which is an introductory essay where van Inwagen explains his conception of the relation between the language of 'the ordinary business of life' and that of 'the ontology room'. The volume will be an important collection for students and scholars of metaphysics.

Genres: Philosophy, Metaphysics

269 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 30, 2014

About the author

Peter van Inwagen is an American analytic philosopher and the John Cardinal O'Hara Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. earned his PhD from the University of Rochester under the direction of Richard Taylor and Keith Lehrer.

Today, Van Inwagen is one of the leading figures in contemporary metaphysics, philosophy of religion, and philosophy of action. He has taught previously at Syracuse University and was the president of the Society of Christian Philosophers from 2010 to 2013. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2005 and was President of the Central Division of the American Philosophical Association in 2008-2009. Van Inwagen has also received an honorary doctorate from the University of Saint Andrews in Scotland.

Reviews

[saml · Rating 3 out of 5]

van inwagen is so fun. shockingly, these essays are in fact in ontology and not in metaphysics more broadly, and are often just as much about what it is to have an ontology as to which ontology we should have. the book is remarkably unscientific: from its pages, one would think feynman was the latest, greatest physicist, and that a billiard ball microbanging model of the world was even slightly compatible with what we know. still, the positions in ontology rather than positions in metaphysics i found remarkably agreeable. we can answer the question "what is there?" systematically. yeah. being is univocal. yup. there are concrete substances and abstract relations and nothing else. sure. there's something clean and penetrating about van inwagen's lolloping and muddling style which is reflected in his choice of world. and his style is the main reason to read him: he is one of the great stylists of ordinary american philosophical english

[Ruth Ashby · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF
Very technical. I read a few chapters for philosophy reading group. The most enjoyable thing was the author’s sharp and snarky sense of humor. I also enjoyed exploring the idea of whether fictional characters exist, and if so in what way.

My favorite quote:
“For philosophers, and metaphysicians especially, are often compared to madmen and I don’t deny that the comparison is a useful one.”

Another good one:
“One in fact doesn’t want one’s mind to be fully awake any very high proportion of the time.”
(Connections to Tiffany Aching here).