Abstract
The Vagueness Argument for universalism only works if you think there is a good reason not to endorse nihilism. Sider's argument from the possibility of gunk is one of the more popular reasons. Further, Hawley has given an argument for the necessity of everything being either gunky or composed of mereological simples. I argue that Hawley's argument rests on the same premise as Sider's argument for the possibility of gunk. Further, I argue that that premise can be used to demonstrate the possibility of simples. Once you stick it all together, you get an absurd consequence. I then survey the possible lessons we could draw from this, arguing that whichever one you take yields an interesting result.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 241-250 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Philosophical Studies |
Volume | 154 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Jun 2011 |
Keywords
- Sider
- Universalism
- Mereological simples
- Vagueness Argument
- Hawley
- Unrestricted mereological composition
- Mereology