Calosi, Claudio (2021) The Bound-State Answer to the Special Composition Question. [Preprint]

Preview

Text The BSA to the SCQ_Final.pdf Download (349kB) | Preview

Abstract

The paper provides the first thorough assessment of a physics-based answer, the so called Bound State Answer, (BSA) to the Special Composition Question (SCQ). According to the BSA some material objects compose something iff they are in a common bound state. The reasons to endorse such an answer, in particular motivations coming from empirical adequacy and conservativeness, precision, simplicity and parsimony are critically addressed. I then go on to compare the BSA to other moderate answers to the SCQ and consider whether objections raised against such answers can be raised against the BSA as well. I conclude with a plea for mereological pluralism, in the light of the many different wholes that physics seem to provide.

---

Export/Citation:

EndNote | BibTeX | Dublin Core | ASCII/Text Citation (Chicago) | HTML Citation | OpenURL

Social Networking:

Share |

---

Item Type:	Preprint
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Calosi, Claudio claudio.calosi@unige.ch 0000-0001-5011-6296
Additional Information:	Final Version to appear in Philosophy of Science
Keywords:	Composition in Physics, Composition in Metaphysics, The Special Composition Question, Bound-States, Entanglement, Mereological Pluralism
Subjects:	General Issues > Scientific Metaphysics Specific Sciences > Physics
Depositing User:	Dr Claudio Calosi
Date Deposited:	10 Jun 2021 03:42
Last Modified:	10 Jun 2021 03:42
Item ID:	19164
Subjects:	General Issues > Scientific Metaphysics Specific Sciences > Physics
Date:	8 June 2021
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/19164

Monthly Views for the past 3 years

Monthly Downloads for the past 3 years

Plum Analytics

Actions (login required)

View Item