Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-cfpbc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-19T01:53:47.382Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Chapter 9 - Nominalism

from Part III - Metaphysics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 April 2020

Jamin Asay
Affiliation:
The University of Hong Kong
Get access

Summary

A familiar view is that truthmaking is in tension with nominalism: to accept an ontology of truthmakers is to reject the austere metaphysical worldview of the nominalist. However, there is nothing inherently antinominalist in the idea of truthmaking. As has been argued, the notion of truthmaking is ontologically neutral, and so in principle compatible with any ontological worldview. Nevertheless, leading advocates of truthmaking (most notably Armstrong) have put their theories to the task of arguing against nominalism. This book is interested in exploring how strong a truthmaking-based defense the nominalist can wield. This chapter briefly presents an overview of the various theoretical options available when it comes to realism and nominalism in the context of truthmaking. In so doing, it introduces a particular distinction between hard road and easy road forms of nominalism. It aims to give the best possible defense of these different forms of nominalism, but raise its own own objections against them. Ultimately, it is suggested that truthmaker theory is best served by a realist commitment to properties, whether in terms of universals or tropes.

Type
Chapter
Information
A Theory of Truthmaking
Metaphysics, Ontology, and Reality
, pp. 175 - 199
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

  • Nominalism
  • Jamin Asay, The University of Hong Kong
  • Book: A Theory of Truthmaking
  • Online publication: 18 April 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108759465.010
Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

  • Nominalism
  • Jamin Asay, The University of Hong Kong
  • Book: A Theory of Truthmaking
  • Online publication: 18 April 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108759465.010
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Nominalism
  • Jamin Asay, The University of Hong Kong
  • Book: A Theory of Truthmaking
  • Online publication: 18 April 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108759465.010
Available formats
×