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My goal is to systematically develop viable alternatives to familiar positions in contemporary analytic metaphysics. To this end, I integrate views and resources from non-Western traditions such as Buddhist philosophy and Chinese philosophy. It is striking to see that deeply entrenched and seldom questioned assumptions and agendas in one tradition are often quickly dismissed in a different tradition. By contrasting frameworks of different traditions, we are less likely to confuse familiarity with certainty and to run the risk of dogmatism. Moreover, resources developed in one tradition may help solve problems that occur in another tradition. While about half of my work involves developing views within the analytic tradition, the other half involves showing how the analytic tradition and non-Western traditions can be better off together. |
My dissertation, Spreading Structures, focuses on structuralism, a metaphysical framework that treats entities like intersections of spider webs. Just as the existence and nature of an intersection depend on how it relates to other intersections, the existence and nature of an entity depend on how it relates to other entities. As it has been prominently applied in the philosophy of mathematics, structuralism says that numbers don’t exist independently and they depend on how they relate to each other. Although structuralism has been developed in other areas (including the philosophy of science), it hasn’t received enough attention in contemporary analytic metaphysics. My dissertation develops and defends structuralism by integrating insights from various sub-disciplines and traditions, especially the philosophy of science and Buddhist philosophy. As I develop it, structuralism challenges orthodox positions in contemporary analytic metaphysics, while deepening our understanding of familiar views and concepts. |
