Armstrong was a friend of Lewis, and he was one of the great analytic metaphysicans, but his Aristotellian metaphysics is sometimes weaker than Quine and others' different version of ontologies of nominals. So, Armstrong's reputation has been downgraded so far, but his philosophy of mind still stands strong enough, I think.Consul wrote: ↑February 12th, 2019, 1:32 amDavid Malet Armstrong is no less important than Lewis (they were good friends, by the way)!Mosesquine wrote: ↑January 14th, 2017, 1:42 amDavid Kellogg Lewis is the most important metaphysician in the analytic tradition in the 20th century. So, he is on the list.
For example, here's a splendid lecture on The Scope & Limits of Knowledge:
Who is your favorite philosopher?
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Re: Who is your favorite philosopher?
- Consul
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Re: Who is your favorite philosopher?
It's no wonder that the nominalists don't like Armstrong's realism about properties, but his arguments against nominalism (antirealism) are still very powerful, and I think fully convincing. As Charlie Martin puts it concisely: "Without properties, objects are empty and predicates blind." (The Mind in Nature, 2007, 80)Mosesquine wrote: ↑March 11th, 2019, 6:49 amArmstrong was a friend of Lewis, and he was one of the great analytic metaphysicans, but his Aristotellian metaphysics is sometimes weaker than Quine and others' different version of ontologies of nominals. So, Armstrong's reputation has been downgraded so far, but his philosophy of mind still stands strong enough, I think.
What I don't find convincing is his view that real properties (and relations) are (immanent) universals rather than particulars (called modes or tropes).
By the way, Lewis equated properties with sets, but he regarded Armstrong's realism and trope realism as serious alternatives:
"The simplest plan is to take a property just as the set of all its instances—all of them, this- and other-worldly alike. Thus the property of being a donkey comes out as the set of all donkeys, the donkeys of other worlds along with the donkeys of ours."
(Lewis, David. On the Plurality of Worlds. Oxford: Blackwell, 1986. p. 50)
Quine's basic ontology comprises individuals (individual objects) and sets.
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Re: Who is your favorite philosopher?
Consul wrote: ↑March 12th, 2019, 8:58 am
By the way, Lewis equated properties with sets, but he regarded Armstrong's realism and trope realism as serious alternatives:
"The simplest plan is to take a property just as the set of all its instances—all of them, this- and other-worldly alike. Thus the property of being a donkey comes out as the set of all donkeys, the donkeys of other worlds along with the donkeys of ours."
(Lewis, David. On the Plurality of Worlds. Oxford: Blackwell, 1986. p. 50)
Quine's basic ontology comprises individuals (individual objects) and sets.
Your quote from Lewis' On the Plurality of Worlds above is not much related to Armstrong's view. Rather, it is related to showing Lewis' view on properties is very similar to Quine's basic ontology - existing things are either individuals (or bound variables) or sets.
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- Teralek
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Re: Who is your favorite philosopher?
My favourite is Russell, others I like are Plato and john Rawls.
My favourite living ones are Peter Singer, David Chalmers and Alain de Botton
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- amplified cactus
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David Hume
Ian Hacking
John Dupré
Paul Feyerabend
Robert Nozick
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Re: Who is your favorite philosopher?
That's not an endorsement of any particular views. It's an endorsement of both the way they approached philosophy and their communication skills.
Re views, even my favorite philosophers--Russell would probably be my #1 if I had to rank them--espoused views that I disagreed with at least 50% of the time.
Philosophers who I don't care for so much--folks like Heidegger, Hegel, Derrida, Marx, Kant, etc.--I'm not at all a fan of continentalism in general, not only do I disagree with almost all the time, but I think they're completely garbage authors, too, who can't effectively write/communicate for crap.
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Re: Who is your favorite philosopher?
2023/2024 Philosophy Books of the Month
Mark Victor Hansen, Relentless: Wisdom Behind the Incomparable Chicken Soup for the Soul
by Mitzi Perdue
February 2023
Rediscovering the Wisdom of Human Nature: How Civilization Destroys Happiness
by Chet Shupe
March 2023