Classifying Reality

Distinguished metaphysicians examine issues central to the high-profile debate between philosophers over how to classify the natural world, and discuss issues in applied ontology such as the classification of diseases.

• Leading metaphysicians explore fundamental questions related to the classification and structure of the natural world
• An essential commentary on issues at the heart of the contemporary debate between philosophy and science
• Interweaves discussion of overarching themes with detailed material on applied ontology

Notes on Contributors vii

Introduction 1

1 Categorial Predication 5
E. J. Lowe

2 Nature’s Joints: A Realistic Defence of Natural Properties 23
D. H. Mellor

3 Boundaries in Reality 41
Tuomas E. Tahko

4 Contrastive Explanations in Evolutionary Biology 61
Stephen Boulter

5 Animate Beings: Their Nature and Identity 79
Gary S. Rosenkrantz

6 Classifying Processes: An Essay in Applied Ontology 101
Barry Smith

Index 127

David S. Oderberg is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Reading, UK. He is the author or editor of several books in metaphysics and moral philosophy, and has contributed numerous journal articles on metaphysics, moral philosophy, philosophy of religion, philosophy of science, and other topics. Professor Oderberg’s texts on Moral Theory and Applied Ethics were both published by Blackwell in 2000, while his most recent book, Real Essentialism (2007), sets out a neo-Aristotelian system of metaphysics.

Assembling the views of today’s leading metaphysicians on primary issues concerning the structure of reality and its taxonomy, this collection gets straight to the heart of one of the most hotly contested debates between philosophers and scientists. It illuminates its subject from diverse angles that include the principles of evolutionary biology and the nature and identity of animate beings.

While some contributors focus on the applied ontology necessary for classifying life in its multitude of forms, others address the problematic question of objectivity. Should we view nature as ‘carved at the joints’, with objective lineaments scientists strive to record, or is the classification of nature itself a wholly mind-dependent matter? The book deftly interweaves these overarching themes with more applied topics such as the taxonomy of disease progression.