[SydPhil] UNSW Philosophy Seminar Series: Jeffrey Bell

[Melissa Merritt]

Prof. Jeffrey Bell
Southern Louisiana University

Seminar Series talk
25 February 12:30-2:00
Goodsell LG 19
UNSW

The Problem of Individuation: Metaphysics and Contemporary Philosophy

Abstract: In the past few decades, metaphysical themes have become increasingly common and important to philosophers in the analytic tradition. David Lewis's work has set the bar for much of this work, and it has been carried on by an increasing number of important philosophers, including Ted Sider whose his recent book, Writing the Book of the World, is exemplary. There has been a similar resurgence of interest in metaphysics among continental philosophers, such as Alain Badiou, Gilles Deleuze, and many others. In this talk I will focus on the problem of individuation--namely, the problem of accounting for what makes something distinct or different from other things. By focusing on this metaphysical theme we can shed light on a number of other contemporary issues in philosophy, such as philosophy of science, and demonstrate as well that one can draw fruitfully from work being done in both analytic and continental traditions.
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