Grounding and metaphysical explanation
Grounding and metaphysical explanation
Attempts to elucidate grounding are often made by connecting grounding to metaphysical explanation, but the notion of metaphysical explanation is itself opaque, and has received little attention in the literature. We can appeal to theories of explanation in the philosophy of science to give us a characterization of metaphysical explanation, but this reveals a tension between three theses: that grounding relations are objective and mind-independent; that there are pragmatic elements to metaphysical explanation; and that grounding and metaphysical explanation share a close connection. Holding fixed the mind-independence of grounding, I show that neither horn of the resultant dilemma can be blunted. Consequently, we should reject the assumption that grounding relations are mind-independent.
395-402
Thompson, Naomi
b382645c-7f77-428b-871a-8552466ec04d
16 December 2016
Thompson, Naomi
b382645c-7f77-428b-871a-8552466ec04d
Thompson, Naomi
(2016)
Grounding and metaphysical explanation.
Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society, 116 (3), part 3, .
(doi:10.1093/arisoc/aow012).
Abstract
Attempts to elucidate grounding are often made by connecting grounding to metaphysical explanation, but the notion of metaphysical explanation is itself opaque, and has received little attention in the literature. We can appeal to theories of explanation in the philosophy of science to give us a characterization of metaphysical explanation, but this reveals a tension between three theses: that grounding relations are objective and mind-independent; that there are pragmatic elements to metaphysical explanation; and that grounding and metaphysical explanation share a close connection. Holding fixed the mind-independence of grounding, I show that neither horn of the resultant dilemma can be blunted. Consequently, we should reject the assumption that grounding relations are mind-independent.
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aow012c2-1.pdf
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Accepted/In Press date: 17 October 2016
e-pub ahead of print date: 16 December 2016
Published date: 16 December 2016
Organisations:
Philosophy
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Local EPrints ID: 405724
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/405724
ISSN: 0066-7374
PURE UUID: a63181a3-d0f6-46e8-b7de-f5cc93661337
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Date deposited: 18 Feb 2017 00:22
Last modified: 26 Jun 2024 01:48
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