On Generically Dependent Entities
Antony Galton
Applied Ontology, Volume 9 Number 2, 2014, pages 129-153
DOI 10.3233/AO-140133
Abstract
An entity x is said to be generically dependent on a type F if
x cannot exist without at least one entity of type F
existing. In this paper several varieties of generic dependence are
distinguished, differing in the nature of the relationship between
an entity and the instances of a type on which it generically
depends, and in the light of this, criteria of identity for
generically dependent entities are investigated. These
considerations are then illustrated in detail in a series of three
case studies, covering shapes, linguistic entities such as letters,
words and sentences, and collectives. Each case study examines
how far the entities involved have robust identity criteria, and
to the extent that they do not it is questioned whether they can be
regarded as bona fide examples of generic dependent
entities. Finally, in the light of this, a number of possible
accounts that may be given of the ontological status of such
entities are considered.
Full text (preprint)
Antony Galton
Last modified: Wed Sep 3 12:49:31 BST 2014