Donald Baxter

contemporaryAnalytic Philosophy

b. 1952

Donald L. M. Baxter is a contemporary American analytic metaphysician best known for his work on identity, composition, and Hume's philosophy. He developed the controversial theory of 'composition as identity' and has made significant contributions to debates about aspects, instantiation, and relational regresses.

Notable Achievements

Developed the theory of Composition as Identity

Introduced the notion of 'aspects' to address problems of instantiation and identity

Contributed influential scholarship on Hume's metaphysics and theory of identity

Advanced debates on Bradley's regress and the nature of relations

Co-edited 'Composition as Identity' (2014) with Aaron Cotnoir

Positions & Arguments(1)

Consciousness & Mind

claim

Lowe's solution to Bradley's regress merely replaces one equally thorny problem with another