An analysis of the grounding relation

Hendricksen, Christopher

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/49701 Copy

Description

Title

An analysis of the grounding relation

Author(s)

Hendricksen, Christopher

Issue Date

2014-05-30T17:05:31Z

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Korman, Daniel Z.

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Korman, Daniel Z.

Committee Member(s)

• McCarthy, Timothy G.
• Arana, Andrew P.
• Livengood, Jonathan M.

Department of Study

Philosophy

Discipline

Philosophy

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Date of Ingest

2014-05-30T17:05:31Z

Keyword(s)

• Philosophy
• Metaphysics
• Grounding

Abstract

This dissertation is an analysis of the grounding relation and its use in contemporary metaphysics. In the first three chapters, I consider the relation itself and its formal features. In the first chapter, I argue that there is such a grounding relation and that it is distinct from other relations. Having defended the grounding relation from skeptics, I turn to a discussion of the various features of the relation, starting with its candidate relata. In the second chapter, I analyze the nature and formal features of the grounding relation. In the third, I argue that there is a fundamental level consisting of entities which are ungrounded, and I discuss various proposals about what exists at that fundamental level. The last two chapters focus on the role that grounding can play in contemporary metaphysics. In the fourth chapter, I consider claims that certain relations, including the grounding relation, can yield an ontological free lunch. I examine what it might mean to get such a free lunch, and argue that there is no such thing. Finally, in the fifth chapter, I consider the grounding problem from material object metaphysics. The use of the grounding relation in this debate illustrates how the grounding relation can be used in metaphysics generally, and in the later part of the fifth chapter, I examine that role that the grounding relation can play.

Graduation Semester

2014-05

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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/49701

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2014 Christopher Hendricksen

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