Faculty Scholarly Dissemination Grants
An Ontology of Ideas
Department
Philosophy Department
College
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Date Range
2013-2014
Disciplines
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Abstract
Philosophers often talk about and engage with ideas. Scientists, artists, and historians do, too. So does practically everyone else. But what is an idea? In this paper, I offer an ontology of ideas. First, I discuss various criteria that any adequate ontology of ideas should satisfy. Next, I offer and motivate a novel ontology of ideas that satisfies these criteria and trace out some of its theoretical virtues. Finally, I further explore some of the nuances and implications of this account, focusing in particular on the individuation and diachronic identities of ideas.
Conference Name
South Carolina Society for Philosophers
Conference Location
Furman University, South Carolina
ScholarWorks Citation
Cray, Wesley, "An Ontology of Ideas" (2014). Faculty Scholarly Dissemination Grants. 940.
https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/fsdg/940
