{"product_id":"absence-and-nothing-the-philosophy-of-what-there-is-not-hardcover","title":"Absence and Nothing: The Philosophy of What There Is Not - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eStephen Mumford\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNothing is not. Yet it seems that we invoke absences and nothings often in our philosophical explanations. Negative metaphysics is on the rise. It has been claimed that absences can be causes, there are negative properties, absences can be perceived, there are negative facts, and that we can refer to and speak about nothing. Parmenides long ago ruled against such things. Here we consider how much of Parmenides' view can survive. A soft Parmenidean methodology is adopted in which we aim to reject all supposed negative entities but are prepared to accept them, reluctantly, if they are indispensable and irreducible in our best theories. We then see whether there are any negative entities this survive this test. Some can be dismissed on metaphysical grounds but other problems are explained only once we reject another strand in Parmenides and show how we can think and talk about nothing. Accounts of perception of absence, empty reference, and denial are gathered. With these, we can\u003cbr\u003eshow how no truthmakers are required for negative truths since we can have negative beliefs, concerning what-is-not, without what-is-not being part of what is. This supports a soft ontological Parmenideanism, which accepts much though not all of Parmenides' original position.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eStephen Mumford, \u003cem\u003eProfessor of Metaphysics, Department of Philosophy, Durham University\u003c\/em\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eStephen Mumford is Professor of Metaphysics at the Department of Philosophy, Durham University. He was previously at the University of Nottingham where he was Head of Philosophy, Head of the School of Humanities, and Dean of the Faculty of Arts. He has written many papers and books in metaphysics, including a number of more popular works intended for a non-specialist audience including articles in \u003cem\u003eTimes Higher Education\u003c\/em\u003e magazine, encyclopaedias, and magazines. His most famous book is \u003cem\u003eDispositions\u003c\/em\u003e (Oxford, 1998) but he also authored \u003cem\u003eLaws in Nature\u003c\/em\u003e (Routledge, 2004), \u003cem\u003eGetting Causes from Powers\u003c\/em\u003e (with Rani Lill Anjum, Oxford, 2011) and \u003cem\u003eWatching Sport: Aesthetics, Ethics and Emotions\u003c\/em\u003e (Routledge, 2011). He is a frequent public speaker at both academic conferences and more popular events and has delivered talks in around 30 countries.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 240\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.72 x 9.33 x 6.26 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e February 23, 2022\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47479291543730,"sku":"9780198831532","price":171.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0770\/3891\/1666\/files\/be8ac9116859a62249b8c72cc848f242.webp?v=1779235589","url":"https:\/\/box.dadyminds.org\/products\/absence-and-nothing-the-philosophy-of-what-there-is-not-hardcover","provider":"DADYMINDS BOX","version":"1.0","type":"link"}