Monism

This week we are discussing Monism.

Summarize:
Jonathan Schaffer’s 2010 paper, Monism: The Priority of the Whole, argues for a metaphysical view in which the cosmos as a whole is ontologically prior to its parts. Against the prevailing pluralist orthodoxy—where particles or other local entities are considered fundamental—Schaffer revives a monistic tradition that sees the universe as an integrated, irreducible totality. He distinguishes this from the discredited idea that only one thing exists, emphasizing instead the claim that parts depend on the whole. Schaffer supports his monism through both physical and modal arguments. Physically, he draws on quantum entanglement and field theory to show that the universe behaves as an indivisible system. Modally, he argues that the possibility of atomless gunk and emergent properties implies that parts cannot ground the whole. He concludes that metaphysical explanation flows downward from the cosmos, challenging views that locate fundamentality in microphysical parts. Thus, monism offers a coherent and empirically informed metaphysical foundation.

Our reading for this week is the Stanford Encyclopedia article on the topic here: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/monism/.

If it's your first time, don't feel obligated to read anything in advance, but bring your iPad or tablet, if you have one. All are welcome, if philosophically inclined. Try to arrive early. We start the discussion at 12:15pm, exactly. Here's a little something about skepticism and something more on other philosophical topics. We are closer to Hawthorne than to Kuhn.

If the meeting is full, join the waitlist and check again on Sunday morning. You may find a spot has opened up. Also, see what meetings are coming up in the weeks ahead.