Ontological accounting and aboutness: on Asay’s A Theory of Truthmaking

Asian Journal of Philosophy 1 (1):1-8 (2021)
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Abstract

In this paper, I first present an overview of Asay’s _A Theory of Truthmaking_, highlighting what I take to be some of its most attractive features, especially his re-invigoration of the ontological understanding of truthmaking and his defence of ontology-first truthmaking over explanation-first truthmaking. Then, I articulate what I take to be a puzzling potential inconsistency: (a) he appeals to considerations to do with aboutness in criticising how well ontological views account for truth while (b) ruling out aboutness from the right account of truthmaking. He argues, instead, that necessitation is both necessary and sufficient for truthmaking (§3.3). I suggest that adding aboutness to one’s account in the right way is not just compatible with but important for ontology-first truthmaking. I do all this to invite Asay to clarify his position on these matters. Overall, Asay’s worldview displays the fruitfulness of an ontologically serious approach to metaphysics that puts truthmaking centre-stage.

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Citations of this work

Necessitation and the Changing Past.Arthur Schipper - 2022 - Theoria 88 (5):997-1013.
Singular Terms and Ontological Seriousness.Arthur Schipper - 2023 - Journal of the American Philosophical Association 9 (3):574-595.
Replies to critics.Jamin Asay - 2022 - Asian Journal of Philosophy 1 (1):1-15.
Inquiry & Ordinary Truthmakers.Arthur Schipper - 2022 - Metaphysica 23 (2):247-273.

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References found in this work

Science Without Numbers: A Defence of Nominalism.Hartry H. Field - 1980 - Princeton, NJ, USA: Princeton University Press.
Truth-Makers.Kevin Mulligan, Peter Simons & Barry Smith - 1984 - Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 44 (3):287-321.
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Truthmaking and difference-making.David Lewis - 2001 - Noûs 35 (4):602–615.
Causality and Determination.G. E. M. Anscombe - 1993 - In E. Sosa M. Tooley (ed.), Causation. Oxford Up. pp. 88-104.

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