Talks

“The Special Questions Dispute: A Simple Case of Metalinguistic Negotiation in Mereology”

Abstract: There are two special questions in mereology: “When is it that some things compose an F?” and “When is it that some things are arranged F-wise?” These questions have given rise to a dispute in mereology that I call the Special Questions Dispute (SQD): “Do some things compose an F or are they arranged F-wise?” I argue that this dispute is a straightforward case of metalinguistic negotiation. The disputants turn out to agree on all the underlying facts, they use key terms differently, and their term use reflects different underlying philosophical norms. 

(* = refereed, † = invited)

* Salzburg Conference for Young Analytic Philosophy, Salzburg, Austria - September 2025

sophia-conference.org

* 99th Joint Session of the Aristotelian Society and the Mind Association, Glasgow, UK - July 2025)

aristoteliansociety.org.uk/the-joint-session/the-2025-joint-session/

† Salvador Mascarenhas Lab Meeting (Paris, FrMay 2025)

Institut Jean Nicod, École Normale Supérieure