547:'s concrete modal realism that it is impossible that no concrete objects exist; for since worlds are concrete, there is at least one concrete object—the world itself—at each world. E. J. Lowe has likewise argued that there are necessarily some concrete objects. His argument runs as follows: Necessarily, there are some abstract objects, such as numbers. The only possible abstract objects are sets or universals, but both of these depend on the existence of concrete objects (for sets, their members; for universals, the things that instantiate them). Therefore, there are necessarily some concrete objects.
25:
629:
539:
The idea is that there is a possible world with finitely many things. One can thus get another possible world by taking a single thing away, and one does not need to add any other thing as its replacement. Then one can take another thing away, and another, until one is left with a possible world that
602:
Jason Turner, 'Ontological
Nihilism', in Karen Bennett, and Dean W. Zimmerman (eds), Oxford Studies in Metaphysics: volume 6, Oxford Studies in Metaphysics (Oxford, 2011; online edn, Oxford Academic, 1 May 2011),
446:
543:
Against the possible strength of this intuitive argument, some philosophers argue that there are necessarily some concrete objects. It is a consequence of
670:
42:
479:
354:
108:
89:
61:
694:
663:
68:
46:
519:
75:
511:
objects at all, so that even if every possible world contains some objects, there is at least one that contains only
699:
272:
57:
35:
656:
148:
454:
212:
518:
To understand metaphysical nihilism, one can look to the subtraction theory in its simplest form, proposed by
322:
297:
207:
472:
429:
317:
610:
Jan
Westerhoff (2021) An argument for ontological nihilism, Inquiry, DOI: 10.1080/0020174X.2021.1934268
414:
282:
544:
419:
342:
82:
613:
O'Leary-Hawthorne, J., Cortens, A. Towards ontological nihilism. Philos Stud 79, 143–165 (1995).
581:
394:
689:
465:
399:
143:
640:
604:
573:
434:
409:
379:
302:
512:
404:
389:
374:
312:
504:
277:
192:
683:
585:
564:
Cameron, Ross P. (2006). "Much Ado About
Nothing: A Study of Metaphysical Nihilism".
424:
217:
384:
222:
636:
507:
in which there are no objects at all; or at least that there might have been no
287:
187:
172:
24:
577:
496:
450:
227:
197:
349:
327:
257:
252:
232:
167:
628:
262:
532:
The removal of one thing does not necessitate the introduction of another.
307:
292:
182:
131:
337:
332:
202:
177:
614:
267:
18:
605:
https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199603039.003.0001
644:
503:
have been no objects at all—that is, that there is a
453:. In order to explore related topics, please visit
49:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
535:Therefore, there could have been no things at all.
529:For each thing, that thing might not have existed.
664:
473:
8:
526:There could have been finitely many things.
671:
657:
480:
466:
122:
109:Learn how and when to remove this message
556:
130:
7:
625:
623:
47:adding citations to reliable sources
643:. You can help Knowledge (XXG) by
615:https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00989707
14:
627:
23:
34:needs additional citations for
1:
716:
622:
578:10.1007/s10670-005-3637-5
607:, accessed 15 Aug. 2023.
298:Incompleteness theorems
58:"Metaphysical nihilism"
695:Metaphysical theories
493:Metaphysical nihilism
323:Münchhausen trilemma
283:Continuum hypothesis
273:Après moi, le déluge
43:improve this article
16:Philosophical theory
635:This article about
545:David Kellogg Lewis
126:Part of a series on
499:theory that there
700:Metaphysics stubs
652:
651:
490:
489:
119:
118:
111:
93:
707:
673:
666:
659:
631:
624:
590:
589:
561:
513:abstract objects
482:
475:
468:
303:Infinite regress
134:
123:
114:
107:
103:
100:
94:
92:
51:
27:
19:
715:
714:
710:
709:
708:
706:
705:
704:
680:
679:
678:
677:
620:
599:
594:
593:
563:
562:
558:
553:
486:
440:
439:
370:
369:
360:
359:
318:Meaninglessness
313:Logical fallacy
248:
247:
238:
237:
163:
162:
153:
132:
115:
104:
98:
95:
52:
50:
40:
28:
17:
12:
11:
5:
713:
711:
703:
702:
697:
692:
682:
681:
676:
675:
668:
661:
653:
650:
649:
632:
618:
617:
611:
608:
598:
595:
592:
591:
572:(2): 193–222.
555:
554:
552:
549:
537:
536:
533:
530:
527:
520:Thomas Baldwin
505:possible world
488:
487:
485:
484:
477:
470:
462:
459:
458:
442:
441:
438:
437:
432:
427:
422:
417:
412:
407:
402:
397:
392:
387:
382:
377:
371:
367:
366:
365:
362:
361:
358:
357:
352:
347:
346:
345:
335:
330:
325:
320:
315:
310:
305:
300:
295:
290:
285:
280:
278:Cognitive bias
275:
270:
265:
260:
255:
249:
245:
244:
243:
240:
239:
236:
235:
230:
225:
220:
215:
210:
205:
200:
195:
193:Existentialism
190:
185:
180:
175:
170:
164:
160:
159:
158:
155:
154:
152:
151:
149:Disambiguation
146:
140:
137:
136:
128:
127:
117:
116:
31:
29:
22:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
712:
701:
698:
696:
693:
691:
688:
687:
685:
674:
669:
667:
662:
660:
655:
654:
648:
646:
642:
638:
633:
630:
626:
621:
616:
612:
609:
606:
601:
600:
596:
587:
583:
579:
575:
571:
567:
560:
557:
550:
548:
546:
541:
534:
531:
528:
525:
524:
523:
521:
516:
514:
510:
506:
502:
498:
497:philosophical
494:
483:
478:
476:
471:
469:
464:
463:
461:
460:
456:
452:
448:
444:
443:
436:
433:
431:
428:
426:
423:
421:
418:
416:
413:
411:
408:
406:
403:
401:
398:
396:
393:
391:
388:
386:
383:
381:
378:
376:
373:
372:
364:
363:
356:
355:Valuelessness
353:
351:
348:
344:
341:
340:
339:
336:
334:
331:
329:
326:
324:
321:
319:
316:
314:
311:
309:
306:
304:
301:
299:
296:
294:
291:
289:
286:
284:
281:
279:
276:
274:
271:
269:
266:
264:
261:
259:
256:
254:
251:
250:
242:
241:
234:
231:
229:
226:
224:
221:
219:
218:Postmodernism
216:
214:
211:
209:
206:
204:
201:
199:
196:
194:
191:
189:
186:
184:
181:
179:
176:
174:
171:
169:
166:
165:
157:
156:
150:
147:
145:
142:
141:
139:
138:
135:
129:
125:
124:
121:
113:
110:
102:
99:February 2024
91:
88:
84:
81:
77:
74:
70:
67:
63:
60: –
59:
55:
54:Find sources:
48:
44:
38:
37:
32:This article
30:
26:
21:
20:
645:expanding it
634:
619:
597:Bibliography
569:
565:
559:
542:
538:
517:
508:
500:
492:
491:
328:Nonexistence
223:Reductionism
120:
105:
96:
86:
79:
72:
65:
53:
41:Please help
36:verification
33:
637:metaphysics
415:Kierkegaard
380:Baudrillard
343:of nihilism
333:Nothingness
288:God is dead
188:Determinism
173:Agnosticism
684:Categories
566:Erkenntnis
551:References
540:is empty.
455:navigation
451:philosophy
445:This is a
400:Dostoevsky
228:Skepticism
213:Presentism
198:Nominalism
69:newspapers
586:170849034
447:subseries
420:Nietzsche
410:Heidegger
350:Vagueness
258:Amorality
253:Ambiguity
233:Solipsism
208:Pessimism
168:Absurdism
690:Nihilism
509:concrete
405:Foucault
368:Thinkers
308:Last man
293:Illusion
246:Concepts
183:Buddhism
144:Category
133:Nihilism
495:is the
390:Derrida
375:Bakunin
338:Paradox
203:Noneism
178:Atheism
161:Schools
83:scholar
584:
435:Sartre
430:Peirce
395:Mackie
268:Anomie
263:Anattā
85:
78:
71:
64:
56:
639:is a
582:S2CID
501:might
425:Rorty
385:Camus
90:JSTOR
76:books
641:stub
522:.
62:news
574:doi
449:on
45:by
686::
580:.
570:64
568:.
515:.
672:e
665:t
658:v
647:.
588:.
576::
481:e
474:t
467:v
457:.
112:)
106:(
101:)
97:(
87:·
80:·
73:·
66:·
39:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
