Contemporary Debates in Metaphysics

In a series of thought-provoking and original essays, eighteen leading philosophers engage in head-to-head debates of nine of the most cutting edge topics in contemporary metaphysics. Explores the fundamental questions in contemporary metaphysics in a series of eighteen original essays - 16 of which are newly commissioned for this volume Features an introductory essay by the editors on the nature of metaphysics to prepare the reader for ongoing discussions Offers readers the unique opportunity to observe leading philosophers engage in head-to-head debate on cutting-edge metaphysical topics Provides valuable insights into the flourishing field of contemporary metaphysics

Notes on Contributors vii Introduction Theodore Sider 1 Abstract Entities 9 1.1 Abstract Entities Chris Swoyer 11 1.2 There Are No Abstract Objects Cian Dorr 32 Causation and Laws of Nature 65 2.1 Nailed to Hume’s Cross? John W. Carroll 67 2.2 Causation and Laws of Nature: Reductionism Jonathan Schaffer 82 Modality and Possible Worlds 109 3.1 Concrete Possible Worlds Phillip Bricker 111 3.2 Ersatz Possible Worlds Joseph Melia 135 Personal Identity 153 4.1 People and Their Bodies Judith Jarvis Thomson 155 4.2 Persons, Bodies, and Human Beings Derek Parfit 177 Time 209 5.1 The Privileged Present: Defending an “A-Theory” of Time Dean Zimmerman 211 5.2 The Tenseless Theory of Time J. J. C. Smart 226 Persistence 239 6.1 Temporal Parts Theodore Sider 241 6.2 Three-Dimensionalism vs. Four-Dimensionalism John Hawthorne 263 Free Will 283 7.1 Incompatibilism Robert Kane 285 7.2 Compatibilism, Incompatibilism, and Impossibilism Kadri Vihvelin 303 Mereology 319 8.1 The Moon and Sixpence: A Defense of Mereological Universalism James Van Cleve 321 8.2 Restricted Composition Ned Markosian 341 Metaontology 365 9.1 Ontological Arguments: Interpretive Charity and Quantifier Variance Eli Hirsch 367 9.2 The Picture of Reality as an Amorphous Lump Matti Eklund 382 Index 397