Locke on Essence and Identity /

This book is a study of John Locke's metaphysics of organisms and persons, with particular emphasis on his theory of identity through time and his conventionalism with respect to kinds and essences. Although these positions seem to be obviously incompatible-his persistence conditions for organi...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Conn, Christopher Hughes
Corporate Author: SpringerLink (Online service)
Format: eBook
Language:English
Published: Dordrecht : Springer Netherlands, 2003.
Series:Philosophical studies series ; 98.
Subjects:
Online Access:Connect to the full text of this electronic book
Description
Summary:This book is a study of John Locke's metaphysics of organisms and persons, with particular emphasis on his theory of identity through time and his conventionalism with respect to kinds and essences. Although these positions seem to be obviously incompatible-his persistence conditions for organisms and persons evidently commit him to attributing de re essential properties to these objects-the final three chapters constitute a sustained argument against this position. After presenting three arguments for thinking that the organisms and persons in Locke's ontology have both spatial and temporal extent, Conn argues that on a four-dimensional ontology (and only on such an ontology) there is no contradiction between Locke's theory of identity and his rejection of essentialism.
Item Description:Electronic resource.
Physical Description:1 online resource (x, 212 pages)
ISBN:9789400710054 (electronic bk.)
9400710054 (electronic bk.)