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Radical Ontic Structural Realism as a Structuralist Existence Monism

Meyer, Aiden (2025) Radical Ontic Structural Realism as a Structuralist Existence Monism. [Preprint]

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Abstract

Radical ontic structural realism (ROSR) argues that structure is all that there is and that objects are metaphysically eliminable. By making such claims, ROSR is widely considered metaphysically obscure. To address this, I propose a novel characterisation of ROSR, drawing on two metaphysical concepts: existence monism, attributed to Spinoza by Bennett (1984) and Spinoza’s concept of modes. These concepts are adaptable to ROSR, which becomes a structuralist existence monism, where putative objects are reconceptualised as modes of the world’s structure. This proposal directly contributes to solving two problems ROSR faces: (A) the need for a metaphysical framework clarifying ROSR’s key claims and (B) ROSR’s need to account for the apparent plurality of objects we experience. Drawing on Wallace and Timpson’s (2010) spacetime state realism, I suggest a solution to a third problem, (problem C), McKenzie’s (2024) challenge to ROSR's status as a substantive metaphysical doctrine. My reformulation of ROSR is a natural interpretation of this solution. I also compare my proposal to French’s (2014) ROSR, and Esfeld and Lam's (2011) moderate structural realism, highlighting my proposal's advantages.

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Item Type: Preprint
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CreatorsEmailORCID
Meyer, Aidenaiden.meyer@student.unimelb.edu.au0009-0004-9747-7223
Keywords: Ontic structural realism, monism, structural realism, spinoza, spacetime state realism, quantum field theory
Subjects: General Issues > Scientific Metaphysics
Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Field Theory
Depositing User: Aiden Meyer
Date Deposited: 04 Jul 2025 12:41
Last Modified: 04 Jul 2025 12:41
Item ID: 25874
DOI or Unique Handle: 10.1007/s11229-025-05120-5
Subjects: General Issues > Scientific Metaphysics
Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Field Theory
Date: 19 June 2025
URI: https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/25874

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