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Existence and Ontology
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Bundle Theory
Bundle theory holds that objects are just bundles of properties without an underlying substance, often associated with David Hume.
Leibniz's Principle of Sufficient Reason
Leibniz's principle that everything must have a reason or cause, sometimes used in ontological arguments to infer the necessity of a first cause or God.
De re vs. De dicto
This distinction concerns the difference between necessity of things (de re) and necessity of propositions (de dicto), important in modal ontological arguments.
Haecceity
Haecceity is a term used in metaphysics to refer to the property that uniquely identifies an individual, the 'thisness' of something.
Quine’s Criticism of Modal Logic
W.V.O. Quine criticizes modal logic on the grounds of its commitment to essentialism and to the obscurity of reference in modal contexts.
Substance Ontology
Substance ontology holds that the fundamental constituents of reality are individual substances rather than properties or events, often associated with Aristotle.
Meinong's Jungle
Alexius Meinong proposed a theory of objects that includes non-existent objects which have being but no existence, leading to a 'jungle' of such entities.
Anselm's Ontological Argument
Proposed by St. Anselm, the argument states that God, being that than which nothing greater can be conceived, must exist in the mind and in reality.
Counterpart Theory
Developed by David Lewis, counterpart theory is a way of explaining the truth conditions of modal statements by postulating the existence of an infinite number of possible worlds and their inhabitants.
Universal Quantification
Universal quantification in logic denotes that all entities within a certain domain satisfy a given predicate, symbolized as .
Kant's Critique of Ontological Arguments
Immanuel Kant criticizes ontological arguments by saying that existence is not a predicate and that being is not a property which can be attributed to a concept.
Process Ontology
Process ontology emphasizes processes or becoming over static being or existing, associated with philosophers like Alfred North Whitehead.
Descartes' Ontological Argument
René Descartes argues that God's existence is self-evident through a clear and distinct perception, with existence being part of God's essence as a perfect being.
Plantinga's Modal Ontological Argument
Developed by Alvin Plantinga, this argument uses modal logic to argue that if God's existence is possible, then God exists in some possible world, and hence in every possible world including our own.
Existential Quantification
Existential quantification in logic denotes the existence of at least one entity that satisfies a given predicate, symbolized as .
The Identity of Indiscernibles
This principle, associated with Leibniz, claims that if two or more objects have exactly the same properties, then they are identical.
Gödel's Ontological Proof
Kurt Gödel proposed a formal argument for God's existence using modal logic, involving positive properties and the essence of God.
Guarino's Ontology
Nicola Guarino emphasizes ontologies in information science as shared conceptualizations that are explicitly defined, offering formality and common understanding.
Possible Worlds
Possible worlds are hypothetical scenarios that are used to express modal propositions; the concept is central to modal logic.
Armstrong's Nominalism
David Malet Armstrong's nominalism rejects the existence of universals and holds that the world of everyday experience can be accounted for without appealing to such entities.
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